Poirier Draws ‘Scarecrow’ in UFC’s Fox Debut

The UFC on Thursday announced the matchup mere hours after its landmark deal with the Fox Broadcasting Company was finalized.

Poirier (10-1, 2-0 UFC) will carry a three-fight winning streak into the bout. A protégé of “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 7 semifinalist Tim Credeur, the 22-year-old last appeared at UFC 131 in June, when he outpointed British import Jason Young en route to a unanimous decision at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The Louisiana-based featherweight has secured eight of his 10 professional victories by knockout, technical knockout or submission. Poirier suffered his only career defeat against Team Alpha Male’s Danny Castillo in August 2010.

Based at the Academy of Combat Arts in North Dakota, Garza (11-1, 2-0 UFC) has rattled off consecutive wins since his submission loss to Tiequan Zhang under the WEC banner in September. The 6-foot-1 27-year-old last appeared at UFC 129 in April, when he submitted Yves Jabouin with a flying triangle choke at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. Spawned by Season 12 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality series, Garza, nicknamed “The Scarecrow,” made his promotional debut in December, when he knocked out three-time Mundials champion Fredson Paixao in 52 seconds with a flying knee.