UFC 182: Evan Dunham vs. Rodrigo Damm booked for Jan. 2 in Las Vegas

Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is sending longtime lightweight veteran Evan Dunham back into battle against Brazilian interloper Rodrigo Damm at the UFC 182 pay-per-view (PPV) event, which takes place on Jan. 3, 2015 inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

UFC announced the pairing on Saturday.

Dunham (14-6) was once considered the future of the 155-pound division after jumping out to an 11-0 start in his pro mixed martial arts (MMA) career. Unfortunately, he has been free-falling down the lightweight ladder over the past two years, barely mustering up a 1-4 record and has now lost three straight.

One more and it could be splitsville.

Damm (12-8) hasn't fared much better, dropping consecutive fights and evening his UFC record at 3-3 since crossing over from Strikeforce. Perhaps more alarmingly, the aging jiu-jitsu specialist has been finished in five of his eight losses, four of them by way of knockout or technical knockout.

Loser leaves town?

UFC 182 will be headlined by a light heavyweight title fight pitting reigning division champion Jon Jones against 205-pound No. 1 contender Daniel Cormier. In addition, Ronda Rousey is expected to defend her 135-pound belt against fellow undefeated bantamweight Cat Zingano.

Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more UFC 182 fight card announcements in the coming weeks.