Jamie Varner returns from broken ankle, fights Drew Dober at UFC on FOX 13

The last time fight fans saw Jamie Varner, he was struggling to stay upright while somehow — amazingly — continuing to mount desperation offense against James Krause last May. This, despite the fact that Varner suffered a bad brake in his left ankle and several torn ligaments in his left foot.

Varner ultimately lost the fight due to doctor’s stoppage at the conclusion of the first round, but despite his now three-fight losing streak, UFC officials were impressed enough with the grittiness of the former WEC lightweight champ to bring him back, as Varner has been scheduled to challenge Drew Dober at UFC on FOX 13 in his hometown of Phoenix, AZ.

AZCentral.com first reported the bout, which was subsequently confirmed by UFC officials.

Still just 29 years old, Varner (21-10-1, 2 NC) generated a stunning ripple in the UFC’s lightweight division upon his short-notice return to the promotion in 2012, knocking out Edson Barboza inside the first round just four months after the Brazilian starched Terry Etim with one of the most memorable finishes in UFC history.

Varner went on to lose four of his next five fights however, capped by the injury that prematurely ended his battle against Krause, although in doing so he earned ‘Fight of the Night’ bonuses for his electric back-and-forth contests against Joe Lauzon and Abel Trujillo.

Now he’ll look to right his ship against Dober (14-6), a 25-year-old Nebraska native who has lost back-to-back decisions to Sean Spencer and Nick Hein over his brief UFC stint.

UFC on FOX 13 takes place on December 13, 2014 at Phoenix’s US Airways Center. Varner vs. Dober is thus far the only scheduled bout for the event.

The last time fight fans saw Jamie Varner, he was struggling to stay upright while somehow — amazingly — continuing to mount desperation offense against James Krause last May. This, despite the fact that Varner suffered a bad brake in his left ankle and several torn ligaments in his left foot.

Varner ultimately lost the fight due to doctor’s stoppage at the conclusion of the first round, but despite his now three-fight losing streak, UFC officials were impressed enough with the grittiness of the former WEC lightweight champ to bring him back, as Varner has been scheduled to challenge Drew Dober at UFC on FOX 13 in his hometown of Phoenix, AZ.

AZCentral.com first reported the bout, which was subsequently confirmed by UFC officials.

Still just 29 years old, Varner (21-10-1, 2 NC) generated a stunning ripple in the UFC’s lightweight division upon his short-notice return to the promotion in 2012, knocking out Edson Barboza inside the first round just four months after the Brazilian starched Terry Etim with one of the most memorable finishes in UFC history.

Varner went on to lose four of his next five fights however, capped by the injury that prematurely ended his battle against Krause, although in doing so he earned ‘Fight of the Night’ bonuses for his electric back-and-forth contests against Joe Lauzon and Abel Trujillo.

Now he’ll look to right his ship against Dober (14-6), a 25-year-old Nebraska native who has lost back-to-back decisions to Sean Spencer and Nick Hein over his brief UFC stint.

UFC on FOX 13 takes place on December 13, 2014 at Phoenix’s US Airways Center. Varner vs. Dober is thus far the only scheduled bout for the event.