Yushin Okami vs. Hector Lombard on Tap for UFC on Fuel 8; Yahya vs. Hirota Added Also

Following a dominant win at UFC 155, Yushin Okami will next fight at home in Japan when he faces former Bellator champion Hector Lombard at UFC on Fuel TV 8 on March 3.

UFC officials announced the new bout late Monday night.

At UFC 155 in December, Okami stifled and suffocated Alan Belcher for the second time en route to a unanimous decision win to close out 2012. It gave Okami his second win for the year, after he lost in shocking fashion to Tim Boetsch at UFC 144 in Japan earlier in the year.

Now Okami will look for a taste of redemption as he returns home in March and faces another top ten middleweight on the rise.

Former Bellator middleweight champion Hector Lombard was one of the UFC’s biggest free agent signings in 2012, but his debut landed with a resounding thud when he barely showed up at UFC 149 before losing a decision to Tim Boetsch.

Following the fight it was revealed that Lombard fought with an injured foot, and he promised a better performance in his second trip to the Octagon. He certainly didn’t disappoint. Lombard crushed Brazilian submission ace Rousimar Palhares at UFC on FX 6 in Australia in December.

Now Lombard gets a stiff test and one of the toughest fighters at 185 pounds in the UFC when he faces Okami in Japan.

In addition to Lombard vs. Okami, a featherweight bout pitting Rani Yahya vs. Japanese fighter Mizuto Hirota has also been added to the upcoming UFC on Fuel TV 8 fight card as well.

Stay tuned to MMAWeekly.com for all the latest UFC news and updates.