Jim Alers vs. Lucas Martins added to UFC Fight Night 45

Despite winning his UFC debut at bantamweight, Lucas Martins (14-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) is headed to the featherweight division.

There to welcome him is Cage Warriors vet Jim Alers (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC), who will face off with the Brazilian at UFC Fight Night 45, officials today announced and Martins’ manager, Wade Hampel of Big Fight Management, confirmed to MMAjunkie.

The event takes place July 16 at Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J. Main card fights air live on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on UFC Fight Pass. The position of Martins vs. Alers on the card is not yet known.

Cerrone headlines the East Coast event opposite Jim Miller in a key lightweight matchup.

It’s not the first time Martins has bounced around weight divisions. He twice fought at lightweight and went 1-1, losing to Edson Barboza before knocking out Jeremy Larsen. He then dropped 20 contracted pounds to take on Junior Hernandez at this past fall’s UFC Fight Night 28, winning via first-round submission.

Alers makes his octagon return following a split decision over fellow newcomer Alan Omer at UFC Fight Night 39. He vacated the Cage Warriors featherweight belt to sign with the UFC and currently owns a nine-fight winning streak.

With the addition to the lineup, UFC Fight Night 45 now includes:

• Donald Cerrone vs. Jim Miller
• John Lineker vs. Alptekin Ozkilic
• John Howard vs. Rick Story
• Pat Healy vs. Gleison Tibau
• Edson Barboza vs. Evan Dunham
• Jim Alers vs. Lucas Martins
• Aljamain Sterling vs. Hugo Viana

For more on UFC Fight Night 45, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Lucas Martins)