Kajan Johnson-Tae Hyun Bang Lightweight Matchup Slated for UFC 174 in Vancouver

Kajan Johnson will make his Octagon debut at UFC 174. | Charles Penner/CombatCaptured

UFC officials Thursday announced the matchup, which takes place June 14 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. The evening’s main draw airs live on pay-per-view and is headlined by a flyweight title showdown pitting reigning champion Demetrious Johnson against hard-punching challenger Ali Bagautinov.

A 30-fight pro, Johnson introduced himself to UFC fans as a welterweight cast member on “TUF Nations,” submitting Brendan O’Reilly in the quarterfinals before suffering a broken jaw at the hands of Chad Laprise in the semis. The Canadian’s last sanctioned contest took place in October 2011, when he choked out Richie Whitson under the Maximum Fighting Championship banner.

Bang, 30, won the Deep lightweight belt back in 2008 and went on to compete for M-1 Global and Sengoku before stepping away from MMA for nearly three years. The South Korean talent returned to competition with a victory last July but came up short in his January UFC debut, suffering a unanimous decision defeat to Mairbek Taisumov at UFC Fight Night 34.