Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
A welterweight fight between former No. 1 contender Jon Fitch and rising prospect Johny Hendricks has been agreed to for UFC 141 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas.
Sources have confirmed to ESPN.com both fighters have verbally committed to the bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.
Sidelined since February with a shoulder injury, Fitch (23-3-1) was cleared to resume training last month. The 33-year-old had a five-fight win streak snapped at UFC 127, where he fought to a majority draw against B.J. Penn.
Fitch made headlines in 2011 when he declared he only wanted current or former UFC champions as opponents. Despite a UFC record of 13-1-1 dating back to 2005, Fitch only has competed for the belt once, coming up short against Georges St. Pierre in 2008.
He publicly sought a rematch with Penn while recovering from his injury but drew Hendricks instead. Penn faces former Strikeforce welterweight champion Nick Diaz in October.
Hendricks (11-1) has been nearly perfect in the Octagon since joining the promotion in 2009. The former Oklahoma State wrestler’s lone UFC loss came via unanimous decision to Rick Story last December.
The 170-pound matchup figures to make the UFC 141 main card. A heavyweight fight between Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar is scheduled to headline the event.
WRITTEN BY Brett Okamoto covers mixed martial arts for ESPN.com & FULL STORY HERE