FOX and UFC are still in the midst of hyping the upcoming “UFC on FOX 6,” featuring Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira, but a new report will quickly turn many eyeballs to April.
According to Yahoo! Sports, the April 20 UFC on FOX broadcast will be co-headlined by two high-profile matches that adhere to a “UFC vs. (ex)-Strikeforce” theme.
The official closure of Strikeforce has enabled UFC to bring its top talent into the Octagon, and that means names like Gilbert Melendez and Daniel Cormier will now get to regularly fight UFC’s best. Both will appear on the April 20 show.
The ultimate headliner will be a UFC-Strikeforce Lightweight Championship unification bout between Benson Henderson and Gilbert Melendez.
Like Bellator’s Eddie Alvarez and Michael Chandler, Melendez’s lack of UFC experience has impeded his ability to claim standing as the world’s best lightweight. A win in his UFC debut–against the promotion’s champion, no less–would immediately remove that doubt.
Delayed due to injury, a previously-planned match between Strikeforce Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion Daniel Cormier and former UFC Champion Frank Mir will co-main-event the FOX show.
The April 20 UFC on FOX takes place in San Jose, CA, which originally served as home base for the Strikeforce promotion.