UFC welterweight hopefuls Dustin Hazelett and Ricky Story have been pegged for a possible 170-pound showdown when the promotion heads to the Oracle Arena for UFC 117 on August 7 in Oakland, California.
Bleacher Report sent word of the pending match-up late last night.
Hazelett was Pearl Harbored by now-exiled British striker Paul "Semtex" Daley back at UFC 108: "Evans vs. Silva" earlier this year. It was the first loss for McLovin' inside the Octagon since Josh Koscheck pounded him out at UFC 82: "Pride of a Champion" in March 2008.
The welterweight division isn't getting any easier and Hazelett may need to step up his offense if he hopes to stay competitive going forward.
Standing in his way is Ricky Story, a winner of three consecutive fights after a debut loss to John Hathaway at UFC 99: "The Comeback" last June. In addition to squeaking past TUF 9 hopeful Nick Osipczak, the "Horror" took a judges decision from Jesse Lennox and submitted Brian Foster.
As with anyone who faces Hazelett, submission defense will be the order of the day.
UFC 117 will feature the put-up-or-shut-up middleweight title fight between Chael Sonnen and Anderson "The Spider" Silva while Thiago "Pitbull" Alves seeks revenge on longtime nemesis Jon Fitch.
Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for future updates on this still-developing fight card.
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