Joe Lauzon-Jamie Varner Completes 4-Fight UFC on Fox 4 Televised Card

Promotion officials recently revealed that Lauzon-Varner will kick off the four-fight broadcast on Fox’s flagship network. Headlining the Aug. 4 show at Staples Center in Los Angeles will be a light heavyweight confrontation between former champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Brandon Vera.

The main card will also see another onetime 205-pound titlist in Lyoto Machida square off with “Ultimate Fighter” Season 8 winner Ryan Bader, while Ben Rothwell and Travis Browne will lock horns at heavyweight.

Six fights are slated for the evening’s undercard, which will be broadcast on Fox-owned cable channel Fuel TV. Highlighting that telecast will be a featherweight confrontation between Nam Phan and Cole Miller, as well as a light heavyweight showdown pairing Phil Davis with Wagner Prado.

Lauzon, 28, had a two-fight winning streak broken in his most recent bout, falling by knockout to former World Extreme Cagefighting champion Anthony Pettis at UFC 144 in February. Prior to that setback, the jiu-jitsu specialist had submitted two foes in less than three minutes, tapping Curt Warburton with a kimura before doing the same to Melvin Guillard with a rear-naked choke last October.

In Varner, Lauzon will face his second straight ex-WEC champion, as Varner held the title from 2008 to 2009 before going 1-4-1 in his next six fights. Recently, Varner has righted his ship. “C-4” notched quick stoppages of Nate Jolly in October and Drew Fickett in February before receiving his call back to the Octagon at UFC 146, where he would upset Edson Barboza and hand the prospect his first career defeat via first-round technical knockout.