Rani Yahya vs. Josh Clopton slated for UFC 163 in Rio

Rani Yahya vs. Josh Clopton slated for UFC 163 in Rio A featherweight bout between Rani Yahya (18-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and Josh Clopton (6-1-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is in the works for August’s UFC 163 event in Brazil.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the planned matchup with sources close to the event. UFC officials subsequently made a formal announcement.

UFC 163 takes place Aug. 3 at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.

Yahya vs. Clopton likely will be part of the prelims.

Yahya, a former WEC bantamweight title challenger, has found new life since his return to the featherweight division and his move to the UFC. In four octagon appearances, he’s posted a 3-1 record. His lone defeat came to perennial contender Chad Mandes while his victories have come over notables Mike Brown, Josh Grispi and Mizuto Hirota.

Clopton, who had a brief appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter 14,” got a fight at the show’s live finale even though he wasn’t an official cast member. After a 6-0-1 start to his career on the regional circuit, he suffered a decision loss to Steven Siler in that UFC debut. However, he hasn’t fought since the December 2011 defeat.

The latest UFC 163 card now includes:

• Champ Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis – for featherweight title
• Phil Davis vs. Lyoto Machida
• Josh Koscheck vs. Demian Maia
• Thales Leites vs. Tom Watson
• Vinny Magalhaes vs. Anthony Perosh
• Cezar Ferreira vs. Clint Hester
• Robert Drysdale vs. Ednaldo Oliveira
• Josh Clopton vs. Rani Yahya
• Neil Magny vs. Sergio Moraes
• Sheila Gaff vs. Amanda Nunes

For more on UFC 163, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Rani Yahya)