Verbal agreements are in place for a middleweight bout between Ed Herman and Clifford Starks at UFC 143. Promotion officials announced the match-up on Wednesday.
The runner-up of "The Ultimate Fighter 3", Herman (19-7) recently returned from a near two-year absence after suffering a brutal knee injury against Aaron Simpson at UFC 102. The 31-year-old has since reestablished his presence in the 185-pound division with consecutive first-round wins over Tim Credeur and Kyle Noke.
Across the cage, Starks (8-0), an undefeated Arizona Combat Sports product, hopes to capitalize on a successful UFC debut in which he defeated previously unbeaten Dustin Jacoby just two weeks after trouncing Artenas Young at Shark Fights 20. A former NCAA standout wrestler at Arizona State University, the 30-year-old has finished four of his eight opponents, with three ending via first-round knockout.
UFC 143 takes place 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
Middleweight: Ed Herman vs. Clifford Starks
Welterweight: Matt Brown vs. Chris Cope
Welterweight: Justin Edwards vs. Mike Stumpf
Middleweight: Rafael Natal vs. Michael Kuiper