Lance Benoist vs. Bobby Voelker set for UFC's June event in Albuquerque
After getting its first UFC show and main event earlier today, Albuquerque now has a welterweight bout on its hands for June.
Bobby Voelker (24-11 MMA, 0-3 UFC) will meet Lance Benoist (6-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) at the UFC’s debut in New Mexico late this spring. UFC officials announced the new fight on Tuesday night.
“UFC Fight Night: Henderson vs. Khabilov†will take place June 7 at Tingley Coliseum. The event is headlined by a lightweight bout between former champion Benson Henderson and Rustam Khabilov, who trains at the Jackson-Winkeljohn camp in Albuquerque. No broadcast plans have been revealed for the card, though it’s likely to air on FOX Sports 1 and stream on UFC Fight Pass.
Voelker likely has his UFC career on the line. After moving over from Strikeforce with a 4-1 record and a three-fight winning streak, Voelker has lost all three of his fights in the UFC. He was decisioned by Patrick Cote in his promotional debut at UFC 158, then was stopped by a Robbie Lawler head kick knockout in July 2013. In December, he dropped a decision to William Macario at UFC 168 in Las Vegas.
Benoist is in a similar position. He won his UFC debut in a “Fight of the Night†performance against Matthew Riddle at UFC Fight Night 25 in September 2011. But he lost both his fights in 2012 – a split-decision setback to Seth Baczynski and a unanimous decision loss to Sean Pierson at uFC 152. He’s been on the shelf since then, though, thanks to a broken leg. The fight against Voelker will be his first in more than 20 months.
