Report: Jon Fitch to Face Johny Hendricks At UFC 141

[WrestlingSmarks News]

It was thought that Jon Fitch would make his return to the UFC octagon in his home town at UFC 139, but that is not the case. Fitch will instead return in Las Vegas at UFC 141 on December 30th to face Johny Hendricks, according to a report from ESPN's Brett Okamoto:

A welterweight fight between former No. 1 contender Jon Fitch and rising prospect Johny Hendricks has been agreed to for UFC 141 on Dec. 30 in Las Vegas.

Sources have confirmed to ESPN.com both fighters have verbally committed to the bout at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

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There had been much speculation about who Fitch would face upon his return, with everything from a rematch with B.J. Penn to a possible bout with Carlos Condit among the initial possibilities. As Fitch waiting impatiently to return to training, all of the big names in the UFC welterweight division were booked for their next fights, leaving Fitch without the top-ranked opponent that he had been campaigning for. Instead, he'll return against the surging Hendricks, who picked up the biggest win of his career with a split-decision victory over Mike Pierce at UFC 133 in July to improve to 6-1 in the UFC.

The bout is the second to be added to the card so far, along with the main event pairing of Alistair Overeem and Brock Lesnar.

More SBN coverage of UFC 141