Robbie Lawler vs. Tarec Saffiedine targeted for UFC on FOX 8 in Seattle

The final welterweight champion in Strikeforce history will make his UFC debut this summer.

Tarec Saffiedine (14-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) is targeted for a meeting with Robbie Lawler (20-9 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at 170 pounds at UFC on FOX 8. Sources close to the fight on Thursday confirmed the booking to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com).

UFC on FOX 8 takes place July 27 at KeyArena in Seattle. The main card will air on FOX following prelims on FX and Facebook.

Saffiedine in January fought Nate Marquardt for Strikeforce’s welterweight title and won a five-round unanimous decision in the last fight in the promotion’s history. That win gave him four straight in the promotion, all by decision. His lone loss in the promotion came by decision to Tyron Woodley in January 2011.

But in the three months that have passed since that fight, Saffiedine was one of the last to cross over from Strikeforce to the UFC still waiting for a fight booking. Now the Belgium-born 26-year-old, who trains at Team Quest with Dan Henderson, finally has his first UFC fight.

Lawler in February returned to the UFC after more than eight years and upset Josh Koscheck with a first-round TKO. That fight also was Lawler’s return to the welterweight division after years at middleweight, which included winning the EliteXC 185-pound title.

The past four years have been up and down for Lawler with a 5-5 mark. But all five wins have come by knockout, including his “Knockout of the Night” bonus winner over Koscheck at UFC 157. Prior to that, Lawler had dropped three of four fights, starting with a Strikeforce middleweight title loss to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza in January 2011.

Along with the new Lawler-Saffiedine booking, UFC on FOX 8 also includes a recently announced welterweight bout between contenders Rory MacDonald and Jake Ellenberger, plus a lightweight fight between Mac Danzig and Melvin Guillard.

The latest UFC on FOX 8 card now includes:

• Jake Ellenberger vs. Rory MacDonald
• Mac Danzig vs. Melvin Guillard
• Robbie Lawler vs. Tarec Saffiedine*

* – Not officially announced

For the latest on UFC on FOX 8, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Robbie Lawler)