Jamie Varner vs. James Krause Verbally Agreed for UFC 173 in Las Vegas

A fight between Jamie Varner and James Krause has been verbally agreed to for UFC 173, according to UFC officials, who announced the bout on Monday.

UFC 173 takes place on May 24 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, and features middleweight champion Chris Weidman putting his belt on the line against Vitor Belfort in the night’s main event.

Varner and Krause are both enter this fight coming off of a loss in their most recent bouts.

Varner (21-9-1, 2 NC) is a former WEC champion, but has had a rough time since returning to the UFC. He is 2-3 during his current Octagon stint, losing to Abel Trujillo in a Fight of the Night performance in his most recent bout. That loss followed a split decision loss to Gleison Tibau.

Krause (20-5) is only two fights into his first trip to the UFC. He won his debut fight by submitting Sam Stout last summer, but lost his follow-up effort to Bobby Green in November. The loss to Green ended an eight-fight winning streak.

Krause will try to get back on course against Varner, who is in desperate need of a victory after suffering back-to-back losses.