Ultimate Fighting Championship

Jamie Varner vs. James Krause added to UFC 173

Published Feb. 25, 2014 11:30 a.m. ET

foxsports

UFC 173 continues to take shape, adding a lightweight fight between hard-hitting Jamie Varner and James Krause.

The matchup was announced on Monday night by the promotion.

Varner, a former WEC lightweight champion, is in need of a win after losing three of his last four in the UFC, including two straight. His last fight, however, is one of the early candidates for 2014's best fights, a slugfest with Abel Trujillo that saw Varner getting the better of things until Trujillo turned fate around with a stunning one-punch knockout at 2:32 of the second. The UFC 169 bout was awarded the Fight of the Night award. Prior to that, Varner (21-9-1, 2 no contests) had lost a decision to Gleison Tibau.

Krause (20-5) recently saw his eight-fight win streak snapped, losing to Bobby Green in a first-round TKO at the UFC Fight for the Troops 3 event last November. That loss was preceded by a submission win over veteran Sam Stout in Krause's octagon debut.

The bout will serve as supporting fodder for the night's main event, an anticipated middleweight title match between Chris Weidman and Vitor Belfort. The annual Memorial Day weekend card takes place on May 24 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Get more from Ultimate Fighting Championship Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Ultimate Fighting Championship