UFC officials today announced that the Japanese superstar will face scrappy veteran George Roop (12-7-1 MMA, 2-3 UFC) at UFC 137.
Featuring a pay-per-view headliner between UFC welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and former Strikeforce titleholder Nick Diaz, UFC 137 takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas.
The 27-year-old Hioki holds an incredible 12-1-1 record in his past 14 outings, with the lone loss coming in controversial split-decision fashion to current UFC fighter Michihiro Omigawa in a Novemebr 2009 Sengoku bout.
Fighting almost exclusively in Japan during his near-nine-year career, Hioki has earned 16 of his 24 career wins via stoppage, including 12 via submission. Hioki has fought three times in Canada, a run that includes a pair of victories over recent UFC 145-pound title-challenger Mark Hominick.
Hioki also owns career victories over notables Jeff Curran, Ronnie Mann, Marlon Sandro and Rumina Sato, among others.
A former cast member on "The Ultimate Fighter 8," Roop has enjoyed mixed results in stints in the UFC and WEC that have seen the 6-foot-1 fighter compete at lightweight, featherweight and bantamweight. Highlights include a WEC 51 "Knockout of the Night" win over Chan Sung Jung and a thrilling split draw with Leonard Garcia at WEC 47.
For more on UFC 137, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of MMAjunkie.com.
(Pictured: Hatsu Hioki)
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