UFC on FOX 12: Josh Thomson vs. Michael Johnson booked for July 26 in San Jose

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) lightweight number one contender, Josh Thomson, will put his retirement plans on hold (for now) and instead throw hands opposite Michael Johnson at the upcoming UFC on FOX 12 event, scheduled for the SAP Center in San Jose, California, on July 26, 2014.

FOX Sports brought word of the 155-pound pairing earlier today.

Thomson (20-6) is coming off a disappointing split-decision loss to former lightweight champion Ben Henderson back in January. The razor-thin defeat to "Smooth" evened his Octagon record (post-Strikeforce) at 1-1 and "The Punk" hasn't won back-to-back fights in nearly four years.

It's now or never.

Johnson (15-8) established himself as a major player in the lightweight division across the span of 13 months. After knocking around Joe Lauzon for three rounds in Boston, "The Menace" put Gleison Tibau to sleep before taking a lopsided decision win over Melvin Guillard.

A victory over Thomson will undoubtedly get his name into the "mix."

UFC on FOX 12 will also feature a light heavyweight contest pitting resurgent division contender Anthony Johnson against the veteran stylings of Antonio Rogerio Nogueira (more on that fight here). Stay tuned to MMAmania.com for more upcoming fight announcements as they become available.