Hermes Franca vs. Joe Lauzon expected for UFN 17

Lightweight competitors Hermes Franca and Joe Lauzon are scheduled to face each other in a bout to be featured during the UFC and Spike TV’s telecast of UFC Fight Night 17 on Feb. 7 at the Pearl at the Palms in Las Vegas.

MMAjunkie.com was the first to report the news on Thursday.

Franca, 19-7, is coming off a victory last month against Marcus Aurelio at UFC 90 in Rosemont, Illinois. Both Franca and Aurelio went the distance in a battle for former American Top Team teammates with Franca being declared the victor via unanimous decision.

The native Brazilian’s lifetime record in the UFC is 6-4 and includes notable victories over Richard Crunkilton, Caol Uno, Jamie Varner, and Spencer Fisher. The former WEC featherweight champion also holds a career win over season five winner of “The Ultimate Fighter,” Nate Diaz.

Lauzon is also a TUF 5 alum and holds a career record of 17-3. Inside of the Octagon, he is 4-1 with notable wins over Jens Pulver, Jason Reinhardt, and Brandon Melendez. His most recent victory ocurred at UFC Fight Night 15 in September, where he TKO’d Kyle Bradley at 1:34 of round 2.

In addition to Franca vs. Lauzon, bouts for UFN 17 featuring Amir Sadollah vs. Nick Catone and Mac Danzig vs. Josh Neer have been reported as well.