/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/702815/ufc_111_ricardo_almeida_vs_matt_brown_4471x2980.jpg)
A welterweight contest between "The Ultimate Fighter" alumni Matt Brown and Chris Cope has been tapped for the undercard of UFC 143. UFC officials confirmed the match-up on Friday.
Brown (12-11), a 30-year-old veteran of TUF 7, lumbers into the bout on uneven ground after dropping four of his last five contests, capped by a submission loss to Seth Baczynski at UFC 139. Regardless, "The Immortal" is never an easy out, as proved by the four victories in his first five UFC appearances prior to the slump.
Cope (5-2), meanwhile, has split his two UFC tilts since storming his way to the semifinals of TUF 13. The native Californian kicked off his Octagon run with a unanimous decision victory over Chuck O'Neil at The Ultimate Fighter 13 Finale, but ultimately fell short to a 40-second Che Mills knockout at UFC 138.
UFC 143 takes place on Super Bowl weekend, February 4th, at the Mandalay Bay Events Centers in Las Vegas, Nevada. An interim welterweight title bout between Nick Diaz and Carlos Condit is the night's main event.
UFC 143 fight card:
Interim Welterweight Championship: Nick Diaz vs. Carlos Condit
Heavyweight: Roy Nelson vs. Fabricio Werdum
Bantamweight: Scott Jorgensen vs. Renan Barao
Welterweight: Josh Koscheck vs. Mike Pierce
Featherweight: Ricardo Lamas vs. Dustin Poirier
Bantamweight: Alex Caceres vs. Edwin Figueroa
Welterweight: Jorge Lopez vs. Amir Sadollah
Welterweight: Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope
Middleweight: Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper