Daron Cruickshank vs. Jorge Masvidal joins UFC on FOX 12 lineup

An early “Fight of the Night” contender has been added to July’s UFC on FOX 12 lineup: lightweights Daron Cruickshank (15-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) vs. Jorge Masvidal (26-8 MMA, 3-1 UFC).

UFC officials today announced the bout via FOXSport.com.

UFC on FOX 12 takes place July 26 at SAP Center in San Jose. The main card airs on FOX following prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

It’s not clear where Cruickshank vs. Masvidal will be placed on the lineup.

Cruickshank recently made some waves in the 155-pound weight class and pulled off a significant upset by scoring a head-kick TKO of Erik Koch at UFC Fight Night 40. The 28-year-old “Detroit Superstar” has now won three of his past four fights and has nine knockouts in 15 career wins. After the latest victory, he said he didn’t have a preferred opponent in mind since he doesn’t really keep tabs on the division.

He meets a fellow striker in Masvidal, who’s also used solid wrestling skills to post a 3-1 record since his move to the UFC (and an overall 4-1 record in his past five fights, which include his work in Strikeforce). The 29-year-old most recently posted a unanimous-decision victory over Pat Healy at UFC on FOX 11.

The latest UFC on FOX 12 card now includes:

• Anthony Johnson vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
• Michael Johnson vs. Josh Thomson
• Daron Cruickshank vs. Jorge Masvidal
• Dennis Bermudez vs. Clay Guida
• Noad Lahat vs. Steven Siler
• Kyle Kingsbury vs. opponent TBA

For more on UFC on FOX 12, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.