Lightweights Erik Koch, Daron Cruickshank Set for UFC Fight Night Clash in Cincinnati

Erik Koch was successful in his first UFC appearance at lightweight. | Dave Mandel/Sherdog.com

UFC officials Thursday announced the pairing, which takes place at U.S. Bank Arena. No headliner has been announced for the event, but the show will air live on Fox Sports 1 and feature a featherweight contest pitting Nik Lentz against Manny Gamburyan.

Koch recently made his return to the lightweight division after a lengthy run at featherweight that nearly saw him square off with longtime divisional kingpin Jose Aldo. “New Breed” halted a two-fight skid this past Saturday, scoring a technical knockout victory over Rafaello Oliveira on the UFC 170 undercard.

In Cruickshank, Koch will face a fellow striker who owns eight of his 14 victories by way of knockout. “The Detroit Superstar” has gone 4-2 in the Octagon since his stint on “TUF 15,” most recently scoring an impressive second-round TKO of former cast mate Mike Rio last month at UFC on Fox 10.