Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) middleweight Tom Lawlor will move back up to the light heavyweight division when he collides with the streaking Gian Villante at the upcoming UFC on FOX 16: "Dillashaw vs. Barao 2" mixed martial arts (MMA) event, scheduled for Sat., July 25, 2015 inside United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
UFC announced the pairing on Thursday night.
Lawlor (9-5, 1 NC) has just one fight over the last two-and-a-half years, a guillotine choke over the since-exiled Michael Kuiper. His "Filthy" submission victory got him back into the win column after a close split-decision loss to Francis Carmont in late 2012.
No doubt he'll be looking to score yet another post-fight bonus this summer in "The Windy City."
Villante (13-5) won back-to-back fights for the first time since crossing over from Strikeforce in 2013. After squeaking past Sean O'Connell last June in New Zealand, the the Bellmore brawler stopped Corey Anderson at UFC on FOX 15 in New Jersey.
The division top 10 appears to be within reach.
UFC on FOX 16 will settle the longstanding score between reigning bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw and the man he stripped of the title, Brazilian bomber Renan Barao. Elsewhere on the card, Anthony Pettis tries to get back into the lightweight title hunt against 155-pound whiz kid Myles Jury.
See the current UFC on FOX 16 fight card and rumors here.