The first live UFC event on Fox Sports 1 isn’t until Aug. 17, but the fight card is already starting to come together.
MMAWeekly.com sources revealed that the latest addition to the fight card is a lightweight bout pitting Joe Lauzon against Michael Johnson.
The event is slated for the TD Gardens in Boston, and marks the launch of Fox’s new nationwide sports network, FS1.
Both fighters have something to prove heading into this fight.
Lauzon (22-8) – a native of Massachusetts – fights on his home turf, but is battling back from a loss to Jim Miller to close out 2012. It was a back-and-forth battle that earned Fight of the Night honors, but in this age of short leashes on losses in the Octagon, no fighter wants to drop back-to-back bouts.
Johnson (12-8), however, is likely teetering on the edge of a much more perilous position than Lauzon.
He is The Ultimate Fighter Season 12 runner-up, but holds a 4-4 record in the Octagon and is coming off of consecutive losses to Myles Jury and Reza Madadi.
The UFC has yet to announce a main event for the Aug. 17 fight card, but it is also expected to include the welterweight return of Thiago Alves, who faces Matt Brown.