John Hathaway vs. Dong Hyun Kim headlines ‘TUF: China’ finale on March 1 in Macau

SINGAPORE – More than three years after they were first scheduled to meet, welterweights John Hathaway (17-1 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Dong Hyun Kim (18-2-1 MMA, 9-2 UFC) will finally face off in the octagon.

UFC officials today announced Hathaway and Kim will meet in the five-round main event of “The Ultimate Fighter: China” finale, which takes place March 1 at The Venetian Macao’s CotaiArena and streams on UFC Fight Pass, the UFC’s recently launched digital network.

Hathaway and Kim originally were slated to meet at UFC 120, which took place in England in October 2010. However, an injury forced Kim to withdraw from the card, and replacement opponent Mike Pyle stepped in and downed Hathaway via decision.

The once-beaten Hathaway boasts an impressive career record, but he was inactive for all of 2013. He was expected to face Erick Silva this past June at UFC on FUEL TV 10, but an injury led to Hathaway’s withdrawal from the card, and Jason High took his spot.

Hathaway made his UFC debut in 2009, scoring a TKO victory over Ireland’s Tom Egan. He followed that up with decision wins over Rick Story, Paul Taylor and Diego Sanchez before falling short against Pyle. He’s since rebounded with decision wins over Kris McCray, Pascal Krauss and John Maguire. A former rugby player, the Englishman Hathaway is still just 26 years old.

Meanwhile, South Korean Kim is currently ranked the No. 10 fighter in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings.

Fighting in the octagon since 2008, Kim currently boasts a three-fight winning streak that includes a shocking “Knockout of the Night” victory over Silva, as well as decision wins over Siyar Bahadurzada and Paulo Thiago. Kim’s lone two career losses came in a three-fight stretch that included a knockout defeat to perennial contender Carlos Condit and a bizarre injury suffered during a throw against Demian Maia.

“The Ultimate Fighter: China” is currently airing on Liaoning Satellite TV in China. Former Strikeforce champ Cung Le serves as an advisor over to the featherweight and welterweight cast members.

The UFC made its Chinese debut in November 2012 with “UFC on FUEL TV 6: Franklin vs. Le,” which also took place at Macau’s CotaiArena.

For more on the TUF China Finale, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Dong Hyun Kim and John Hathaway)