A middleweight bout between Lorenz Larkin and Costa Philippou has been verbally agreed to take place at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 40 card in Cincinnati, officials announced on Sunday.
The Larkin vs. Philippou affair adds to the developing fight card, which takes place May 10 at the city’s U.S. Bank Arena.
Larkin (14-2, 1 NC) was a top-ranked Strikeforce middleweight before coming to the UFC. Since debuting in the organization, however, “Da Monsoon” has won only one of three outings, dropping his most recent fight to Brad Tavares at UFC Fight Night 35 in January.
Philippou (12-4, 1 NC) has also seen better days, dropping his last two contests in the UFC. Before his current two-fight skid, Philippou won five in a row, including two finishes.
UFC Fight Night 40 is currently without a headlining fight, but one is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.