The UFC’s first trip to Baltimore in April has had its’ second bout added to the fight card as welterweight contender Jake Ellenberger (29-7, 8-3 UFC) and former Strikeforce Welterweight Champion Tarec Saffiedine (15-3, 1-0 UFC) have been rebooked to meet at UFC 172.
The UFC officially announced the bout on Friday.
Ellenberger and Saffiedine were originally scheduled to fight at UFC Fight Night 34 in China earlier this month in a five-round bout, but Ellenberger was injured prior to the bout and forced to pull out. Saffiedine wound up fighting Hyun Gyu Lim and took home a unanimous decision in a fight that won “Fight Of The Night” honors. It was Saffiedine’s fifth straight win, and he has won eight of his last nine fights overall.
Ellenberger is looking to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Rory MacDonald at UFC On FOX 8 in July. That fight ended Ellenberger’s two-fight win streak as he was looking to secure a title shot. Despite losing two of his last four fights after putting together a six-fight win streak, Ellenberger remains in that title contention talk as he is ranked fifth in the current edition of the UFC’s Welterweight Rankings. Saffiedine, meanwhile, is ranked ninth.
UFC 172 takes place on April 26 from the Baltimore Arena in Baltimore, Maryland and will air on pay-per-view with prelims airing on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass. Jon Jones defends the UFC Light Heavyweight Championship against Glover Teixeira in the main event. More bouts will be announced in the coming weeks for the event, which sees tickets go on sale on February 5.
