Tatsuya Kawajiri welcomes newcomer Sean Soriano to octagon at UFC Fight Night 34

Japanese MMA superstar Tatsuya Kawajiri will meet promotional newcomer Sean Soriano at next month’s UFC Fight Night 34 event.

UFC officials today announced the new matchup, necessitated when Kawajiri’s original opponent, Hacran Dias, was forced to withdraw from the card.

Featuring a welterweight headliner between former Strikeforce champ Tarec Saffiedine and Korean contender Hyun Gyu Lim, UFC Fight Night 34 takes place Jan. 4 at Singapore’s Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

The event serves as the first to stream on the promotion’s soon-to-launch digital network, though exact details for the broadcast have yet to be announced.

Kawajiri (32-7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) has fought outside of Asia just once – a 2011 Strikeforce loss to Gilbert Melendez for the now-defunct promotion’s lightweight title. That fight resulted in a first-round TKO loss in San Diego.

Since then, Kawajiri has won five straight fights for DREAM, as well as ONE FC, with four coming by stoppage. In 2011, after the loss to Melendez, he stopped Drew Fickett with punches and submitted Joachim Hansen and Kazuyuki Miyata.

Meanwhile, the undefeated Soriano makes his UFC debut on the strength of eight straight wins to open his career. A member of Florida’s Blackzilians camp, the 24-year-old Soriano won his first six career bouts by either knockout or submission. This past year, he proved his stamina, as well, picking up a pair of 25-minute decision wins.

With the addition, UFC Fight Night 34 now includes:

• Tarec Saffiedine vs. Hyun Gyu Lim
• Tatsuya Kawajiri vs. Sean Soriano
• Luiz Dutra vs. Kiichi Kunimoto
• Kyung Ho Kang vs. Shunichi Shimizu
• Katsunori Kikuno vs. Quinn Mulhern
• Dustin Kimura vs. Jon Delos Reyes
• Will Chope vs. Max Holloway
• David Galera vs. Royston Wee
• Tae Hyun Bang vs. Mairbek Taisumov

For more on UFC Fight Night 34, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Tatsuya Kawajiri)