Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie slotted for UFC 159 on April 27

A featherweight bout between slugger Leonard Garcia (15-10-1 MMA, 2-6 UFC) and submission specialist Cody McKenzie (13-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) is slotted for next month’s UFC 159 event.

Garcia recently announced the fight on Twitter, though UFC officials haven’t made a formal announcement.

UFC 159 takes place April 27 at Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The main card, including a headliner between light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and Chael Sonnen, airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.

Garcia vs. McKenzie, which initially was slated for UFC 155 until McKenzie suffered an injury, is likely to be part of the prelims.

Garcia, presumedly, is in a must-win situation. Since his return to the UFC after a stint in the WEC, he’s just 1-4, which includes four consecutive losses heading into UFC 159. The most recent loss came via split decision to Max Holloway at UFC 155. Garcia’s most recent non-split-decision win came way back in November 2008, when he knocked out Jens Pulver at WEC 36.

The six-time Zuffa “Fight of the Night” winner now meets McKenzie, a cast member on “The Ultimate Fighter 12? who beat Aaron Wilkinson at the show’s live finale. He earned the win with his 10th consecutive guillotine choke. However, he’s just 1-3 since then, which included a body-punch KO loss to Chad Mendes in his most recent bout, at UFC 148 in July 2012.

The latest UFC 159 card includes:

• Champ Jon Jones vs. Chael Sonnen – for light-heavyweight title
• Alan Belcher vs. Michael Bisping
• Phil Davis vs. Vinny Magalhaes
• Pat Healy vs. Jim Miller
• Cheick Kongo vs. Roy Nelson
• Sheila Gaff vs. Sara McMann
• Nick Catone vs. James Head
• Jimy Hettes vs. Steven Siler
• Leonard Garcia vs. Cody McKenzie
• Al Iaquinta vs. Joe Proctor
• Ovince St. Preux vs. Gian Villante
• Rustam Khabilov vs. Yancy Medeiros

For more on UFC 159, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Cody McKenzie)