After a stunning upset win in his return to the UFC, Jamie Varner has been booked for his next test.
Varner (20-6-1- MMA, 2-1 UFC) will step in for the injured Terry Etim (15-4 MMA, 6-4 UFC) and will face Joe Lauzon (21-7 MMA, 8-4 UFC) in a lightweight bout at UFC on FOX 4. UFC officials made the announcement late Wednesday.
UFC on FOX 4 takes place Aug. 4 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The main card airs on FOX and features a main event light heavyweight bout between former champion Mauricio "Shogun" Rua and Brandon Vera. The main card, which is likely to include the new Varner-Lauzon bout, airs live on the FOX network.
Varner last month got the call to return to the UFC to face Edson Barboza at UFC 146 on less than a month's notice, filling in for an injured Evan Dunham. Despite being a heavy underdog against the unbeaten Brazilian, who had three straight "Fight of the Night" bonuses and a "Knockout of the Night" bonus, as well, Varner took it to Barboza in the standup game and stopped him with punches 3:23 into the first round. It was Varner's first win in the UFC since March 2007.
After going 1-1 in the UFC with a loss to Hermes Franca at UFC 62 and a win over Jason Gilliam at UFC 68, Varner moved to the WEC, where he won the lightweight belt in February 2008. He defended it against Marcus Hicks and again with a controversial split technical decision win over Donald Cerrone. Injuries sidelined him for nearly a year, but when he returned he lost his title to Benson Henderson. After a draw against Kamal Shalorus and losses to Cerrone and Shane Roller, Varner was not retained by Zuffa when the WEC's fighters moved to the UFC after the merger of the two promotions.
But he went 3-1 outside the Zuffa banner in 2011 and early 2012, fighting at welterweight and catchweights between 155 and 170. His wins were three first-round stoppages, including a 40-second TKO of UFC vet Drew Fickett, which helped him get the call to return that he made the most of.
Lauzon looks to get back in the win column after a highlight-reel knockout loss to Anthony Pettis at UFC 144 in February. Before that, Lauzon was on a 4-2 run with four "Submission of the Night" wins and a pair of "Fight of the Night" bonuses in his two losses, which came at the hands of George Sotiropoulos and Sam Stout.
Etim on Tuesday night was announced out of the fight with Lauzon due to an undisclosed injury. He last fought in January at UFC 142, where he suffered a head-kick knockout loss to Barboza, a likely "Knockout of the Year" candidate. Etim did get a "Fight of the Night" bonus award, however – his fourth bonus in his past five fights. Injury setbacks had the Brit fighting just once each in 2010 and 2011.
The UFC on FOX 4 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (FOX)
Mauricio "Shogun" Rua vs. Brandon Vera
Ryan Bader vs. Lyoto Machida
Travis Browne vs. Ben Rothwell
Jamie Varner vs. Joe Lauzon
