After previously expressing willingness to rebook the fight against Ellenberger, Welterweight Tarec Saffiedine (15-3 MMA, 1-0 UFC) today announced via his facebook page that he is officially fighting Jake Ellenberger (29-7 MMA, 8-3 UFC) at the pay-per-view event, which takes place April 26 at Baltimore Arena in Baltimore.
Ellenberger vs. Saffiedine has originally slated for UFC Fight Night 34, which opened the UFC’s 2014 fight schedule, but Ellenberger suffered a torn hamstring that derailed those plans. Saffiedine made the most of that night, winning a dominant unanimous decision victory over Ellenberger’s replacement Hyun Gyu Lim in the Fight of the Night, extending his winning streak to five consecutive bouts. A win in “Charm City” will undoubtedlty push him up the list and into title contention.
Ellenberger on the other hand needs an impressive win to make up for lost ground against Rory MacDonald at this past July’s UFC on FOX 8, which put him on the wrong side of a decision.
UFC 172 will feature the return of 205-pound champion Jon Jones, as he attempts to defend his light heavyweight strap against Glover Teixiera. “Bones” was last seen turning away Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165, while Teixeira kept his 29-fight win streak alive by defeating Ryan Bader at UFC Fight Night 28.
