A welterweight bout between Mike Pierce (13-5 MMA, 5-3 UFC) and Carlos Eduardo Rocha (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is the first planned addition to the currently unannounced UFC on FX 3 card.
MMAjunkie.com (
UFC blog for UFC news, UFC rumors, fighter interviews and event previews/recaps | MMAjunkie.com) today confirmed with event sources that the show is expected to take place June 8.
While the main card would air on FX, officials haven't finalized a venue for the event, sources said.
Rocha posted news of the bout on Facebook but didn't specify an event, though sources later told MMAjunkie.com it's expected to be the UFC on FX 3 card.
With UFC on FX 3, the UFC will host nine major events in just 12 weeks from April 14 to July 7.
Pierce most recently fought at UFC 143, where he got a fight with Josh Koscheck after calling out the former title challenger. Pierce kept the February bout close but ultimately suffered a split-decision loss. The former Portland State University was on a 4-1 run, which included a split-decision defeat to rising contender Johny Hendricks, before the Koscheck loss.
Rocha, a Brazilian jiu-jitsu black belt, fights for the first time in 16 months. Most recently, he suffered a split-decision defeat to Jake Ellenberger at UFC 126. Prior to that, the Brazilian opened his career with a 9-0 record (and eight stoppages) that included a UFC-debut submission win over Kris McCray at UFC 122. Now training with Black House, he's been on the sidelines due to injuries to both elbows.
