A couple of former lightweight fighters, the UFC’s Charles ‘Do Bronx’ Oliveira (14-2, 1NC) and promotion newcomer Eric ‘Little Lee’ Wisely (19-6), appear set to meet at next month’s UFC on FOX 2 event in a featherweight matchup as both fighters drop to 145 lbs for the first time in their careers.
News of the matchup surfaced at MMAjunkie.com on Sunday, who confirmed the fight with sources close to the promotion.
UFC on FOX 2 is set to take place on January 28th at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The preliminary card, where the Oliveira vs. Wisely bout is expected to appear, will stream live on on FOX.com, while the main card will air live on FOX television.
Oliveira is 0-2-1 in his last three fights, having most recently been dropped by Donald Cerrone at UFC on Versus 5 by first round TKO. After the loss, ‘Do Bronx’ and his camp opted to drop to 145 lbs for his next fight. Previous to the defeat, the Brazilian had a victory over Nik Lentz at UFC on Versus 4 overturned to a “No Contest” due to an illegal knee.
Wisely is 1-1 in his last two matches, but is 6-1 in his last seven. His most recent victory came just recently, earning a second round TKO victory at a local event in Minnesota. That win saw him bounce back from a loss to Pat Healy via decision in ‘Little Lee’s’ first and only appearance in the Strikeforce cage. Wisely has earned two wins over Hermes Franca, both of which came in 2010.
The decision to move to 145 lbs was long overdue for Oliveira who was capable of hanging with most lightweights, but will allow him to impress even more at featherweight. The only problem being, is he is now debuting at that weight class against an unknown with Wisely and could prove to be ‘Do Bronx’s’ undoing.