Sources: Thompson-De Fries Targeted for UFC 138 in England

Sherdog.com confirmed Thompson’s signing and the matchup with sources close to the event on Friday. Headlined by a middleweight confrontation between Chris Leben and Mark Munoz, UFC 138 will emanate from LG Arena in Birmingham, England. The main draw will air in the United States via same-day tape delay on Spike TV.

De Fries announced his signing with the UFC earlier today. The 25-year-old has been perfect through his seven-fight career, submitting all of his opponents through his two years as a pro. De Fries has made an especially effective weapon of the rear-naked choke, stopping five of his fallen foes with that maneuver. Only his most recent opponent has escaped the first round against De Fries, as the Brit finished Stav Economou in the second round of their July 2 clash.

Thompson has finished all but one of his career victims, knocking out three while submitting five. The ZT Fight Skool export has only tasted defeat twice as a pro and will ride a five-fight winning streak into his UFC debut. Both of Thompson’s defeats have come to UFC-caliber fighters, as the heavyweight was bested by Joe Vedepo and Rob Broughton in 2010, a year in which Thompson fought six times. Most recently, Thompson submitted Mark Potter with a rear-naked choke on June 25, finishing his countryman in just 2:55.