Hot off his UFC 106 thrashing of Phil Baroni on Nov. 21, Amir Sadollah looks to keep his momentum going with a quick turnaround at UFC Fight Night 20 against Brad Blackburn (15-9-1) in a 170-pound showdown scheduled for the Patriot Center on Jan. 11, in Fairfax, Virginia, according to the Newark Examiner.
Both fighters have agreed to the contest; however, bout agreements are not yet signed.
The Baroni beatdown was a much-needed win for the Ultimate Fighter 7 champ. After more than a year on the sidelines, Sadollah finally got back into the cage at UFC 101 last September in his welterweight debut. Unfortunately his return was short lived after Johnny Hendricks put him down in the first round.
Another sharp performance when he faces Blackburn could go a long way in further raising his stock in the 170-pound division.
Blackburn was "Bad" enough to parlay his success with the International Fight League (IFL) to score a second round technical knockout of James Giboo inside the Octagon at UFC Fight Night 14: "Silva vs. Irvin" back in July 2008.
He was quickly paired up with Ryo Chonan at UFC 92 later that year and took home the decision win, just as he did against Edgar Garcia at the Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale, pushing his undefeated mark inside the Octagon to 3-0.
He may have been flying under the radar for the past 18 months, but that could quickly change if he snuffs out the rising star of Sadollah.
UFC Fight Night 20 features a rematch between Ultimate Fighter rivals Gray Maynard (8-0) and Nate Diaz (11-4), who will duke it out in a possible number one contender bout for the 155-pound title. Undefeated lightweights Efrain Escudero and Evan Dunham are also scheduled to hook 'em up.
For more on UFC Fight Night 20 click here.
Get the latest gear
