A lightweight bout between Spencer Fisher and Ross Pearson is in the works for UFC 127 next February.
MMAjunkie.com reported the match up after speaking with sources close to the event, who revealed that the verbal agreements are in place.
Pearson, the winner of the ninth season of “The Ultimate Fighter”, was rolling through the competitors set up against him following his time on the reality show, defeating veteran Aaron Riley via technical knockout and Dennis Siver via unanimous decision. However, Cole Miller spoiled the Brit’s run, dominating him at “UFC Fight Night: Marquardt vs. Palhares” by hurting him on the feet, then following up with a rear naked choke.
Pearson’s opponent, Fisher, has struggled to break into the top tier of the division over recent years. Between June of 2008 and 2009, Fisher collected three consecutive victories, including a decision win over Jeremy Stephens, but, just as it seemed he may be approaching title contention, he was dominated by Joe Stevenson and out-pointed by Dennis Siver at UFC 104 and “The Ultimate Fighter 11 Finale”, respectively, to abruptly end his winning streak. Since the pair of losses, Fisher has rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Kurt Warburton at UFC 120 in England.
The lightweight pairing is set for UFC 127 on February 27 at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia. The event will be headlined by a welterweight tilt between former champion B.J. Penn and contender Jon Fitch, while a lightweight tilt between the aforementioned Siver and UFC 123 winner George Sotiropoulos will also make the card.