Two FOX veterans have signed back up for primetime.
Verbal agreements are in place for heavyweight bruiser Lavar Johnson to fight TUF 10 alumnus Brendan Schaub at UFC on FOX 5. Additionally, the card will see revitalized welterweight Mike Swick return to meet Matt Brown. UFC officials announced the bouts on Monday.
UFC on FOX 5 is slated for December 8 at the KeyArena in Seattle, WA. A trio of high-profile bouts headline the night: lightweight champion Benson Henderson vs. Nate Diaz, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua vs. Alexander Gustafsson, and Rory MacDonald vs. B.J. Penn.
Johnson (17-6) has stayed busy since migrating over from Strikeforce, compiling a 2-1 UFC record, including a pair of resounding knockout victories over Joey Beltran and Pat Barry. Hoping to rebound from a short-notice loss to Stefan Struve, Johnson is now set to face Schaub (8-3), who rides his own losing streak after falling to consecutive knockouts from Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira and Ben Rothwell.
Meanwhile, both Swick (15-4) and Brown (15-11) look to continue the their recent winning ways. Swick flattened DaMarques Johnson at UFC on FOX 4, his first appearance back from a 29-month layoff, while Brown is one of few fighters to claim three victories in 2012, including a surprising upset over Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 145.
A pair of cancelled UFC 151 bouts — Daron Cruickshank vs. Henry Martinez and Tim Means vs. Abel Trujillo — have also been shifted to the UFC on FOX 5 undercard.