Mike Swick (10-2) is in talks to make his long-awaited welterweight debut against Josh Burkman (9-4) at UFC Fight Night 12 on January 23, according to MMAmania.com (www.mmamania.com) sources.
No official bout agreements have been signed; however, the match up is more or less a "done deal" from what we hear.
This will be the first fight at 170 pounds for "Quick" inside the Octagon. The American Kickboxing Academy (AKA) product made the decision to drop down from 185 (middleweight) after getting outmuscled by the much larger and stronger Yushin Okami at UFC 69: "Shootout" back in April.
Swick was booked to fight Jonathan Goulet at UFC Fight Night 11 in September; however, he sustained severe injuries to his ribs while sparring that forced him off the SpikeTV card.
Burkman is coming off of an underwhelming performance against Forrest Petz at UFC 77: "Hostile Territory" in October. "The People's Warrior" won the split decision on the judges scorecards but not with the majority of fans who saw it the other way. He'll certainly need to be on top of his game if he indeed draws Swick.
Both fighters competed on separate seasons of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF). There's a possibility -- based on the popularity of the combo -- that this bout could be the main event of the evening. Stay tuned for more details.
For the latest UFC Fight Night 12 Fight card click here.
Get the latest gear
