Erik Koch-Ricardo Lamas Planned for UFC on FOX 6 Main Card Opener

ERIK KOCH-RICARDO LAMAS PLANNED FOR UFC ON FOX 6 MAIN CARD OPENER
BY MATT ERICKSON ON DEC 17, 2012 AT 8:15 PM ET

A fight between a pair of featherweight contenders from the Midwest will open up the main card of UFC on FOX 6 next month.

Though not yet announced for the main card by the UFC, sources close to the promotion on Monday told MMAjunkie.com that the plan is for a bout between Erik Koch (13-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Ricardo Lamas (12-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) to open up the FOX portion of the broadcast.

UFC on FOX 6, the UFC's first network-televised event of 2013, takes place Jan. 26 at United Center in Chicago.

The main card, including a title fight between flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson (16-2-1 MMA, 4-1-1 UFC) and top contender John Dodson (14-5 MMA, 3-0 UFC), airs on FOX. FX and Facebook are expected to carry the prelims. The main card also features a light heavyweight bout between former champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson (32-10 MMA, 7-4 UFC) and Glover Teixeira (19-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) in the co-main event and a lightweight title eliminator between former WEC champ Anthony Pettis (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and Donald Cerrone (19-4 MMA, 6-1 UFC).

Koch-Lamas' likely biggest competition for the final spot on the main card came from Chicago-area native Clay Guida (29-13 MMA, 9-7 UFC), who makes his featherweight debut against Hatsu Hioki (26-5-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC). But it now appears that bout is ticketed for the prelims.

Lamas lives and trains in the Chicago area and is coming off a unanimous-decision win over Hatsu Hioki at UFC on FX 4 in June. The upset of the Japanese fighter (whom many considered No. 2 in the world at the time) moved Lamas to 3-0 in the UFC. Before the win over Hioki, Lamas had a "Submission of the Night" win over Cub Swanson at UFC on FOX 1 and a knockout victory over Matt Grice in June 2011.

Koch won't have far to travel for the fight, either. Along with Pettis, he makes his training home at the Duke Roufus camp in Milwaukee, just 90 miles away. He was scheduled to meet featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 153 in October. But a Koch injury forced him off the card, and former lightweight champion Frankie Edgar, dropping down a weight class, was set to fight for the title. But then Aldo, too, was hurt, and the fight was canceled. Aldo and Edgar will fight at UFC 156 in February, and the Koch vs. Lamas winner could be up next.

Koch most recently fought in September 2011, when he beat "TUF 12" winner Jonathan Brookins by unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 25, which made him 2-0 in the UFC. Since his lone pro loss to Chad Mendes at WEC 47, Koch is 4-0. But he'll be returning to the octagon after 16 months on the sidelines.

The latest UFC on FOX 6 card now includes:

MAIN CARD

Champ Demetrious Johnson vs. John Dodson - for flyweight title
Quinton "Rampage" Jackson vs. Glover Teixeira
Donald Cerrone vs. Anthony Pettis
Erik Koch vs. Ricardo Lamas

PRELIMINARY CARD

T.J. Grant vs. Matt Wiman
Clay Guida vs. Hatsu Hioki
Ryan Bader vs. Vladimir Matyushenko
Shawn Jordan vs. Mike Russow
Pascal Krauss vs. Mike Stumpf
Magnus Cedenblad vs. Rafael Natal
David Mitchell vs. Simeon Thoresen