The lightweight invasion of the featherweight division continues, as Tyson Griffin has been slotted to square off against perennial contender Manny Gamburyan at UFC on Versus 4 on June 26.
The promotion announced the pending contest on its Twitter account earlier today.
Griffin, who at the beginning of 2010 was thought to be on the verge of a 155-pound title shot, drops down in weight after losing three consecutive fights, albeit two by way of controversial split decision.
The bodacious boxer recently underwent surgery to repair faulty knees but has vowed to come back stronger and better than ever in his run at the featherweight championship.
He might run into fellow former lightweights Joe Stevenson and Kenny Florian along the way but first he'll have to get past a former 145-pound title contender.
Manny Gamburyan hasn't competed since his WEC 51 loss to current Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo back in Sept. 2010. He was initially set to return at UFC 128 on March 19 but suffered a back injury and was forced to pull out.
"The Anvil" was targeting a June return at the Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale, but will have to settle for a spot on the next Versus card. One out of two ain't bad.
Gamburyan hasn't seen action inside the Octagon since Jan. 2009, a lightweight loss that spurred him to make the drop to 145-pounds. Sound familiar?
He'll hope to make a successful return to the world's largest fight promotion when the organization returns to Versus on June 26, although no venue has been announced at this time.
Other bouts currently rumored for the card include Pat Barry vs. Cheick Kongo, Rich Attonito vs. Matt Brown and Joe Stevenson vs. Javier Vazquez.
Keep it locked right here to MMAmania.com for updates to the still-developing fight card.
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