Chris Weidman vs. Tim Boetsch On Tap For UFC 155 In Las Vegas

(Photo by Kyle Terada via US PRESSWIRE)

A pivotal middleweight match up has been added to the UFC’s annual year-end extravaganza as top 185-pound contenders Chris Weidman and Tim Boetsch have agreed to face off at UFC 155, scheduled for Dec. 29 in Las Vegas.

Both men are coming off crucial victories this past July with Weidman knocking out Mark Munoz at UFC on FUEL TV 4 and Boetsch picking up a close decision win over Hector Lombard at UFC 149.

News of the middleweight contest was first reported by Reid Forgrave of FOX Sports.

Weidman (9-0) campaigned for a title shot following his victory against Munoz but UFC middleweight champion Anderson Silva publicly stated he is disinterested in fighting the New York native. Weidman is now booked to fight Boetsch at UFC 155 and should he win it would be difficult to deny him a title opportunity any longer. “All-American” is 5-0 under the UFC banner including two submissions and one knockout.

Boetsch (16-4) is undefeated at 4-0 since dropping to the middleweight division from light heavyweight in mid-2011. “The Barbarian” has looked like a brand new fighter at 185-pounds and has showed he is capable of defeating the best in the world at middleweight after back-to-back wins over Yushin Okami and Lombard. The 31-year-old suffered a foot injury in his victory over Lombard but is expected to be full recovered by the time he steps in the cage with Weidman.

While the Dec. 29 UFC event has yet to be formally announced by the organization, a heavyweight championship bout between Junior dos Santos and Cain Velasquez is expected to headline the event.

A location for the event is unknown at this time. However, in recent years the New Year’s weekend UFC fight card have taken place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For the latest on the UFC 155 fight card, click here. For up-to-date versions of all upcoming fight cards, head over to the rumors section.

Mike Bohn, founder and lead writer of FightCove.com, wrote this article. You can follow Mike on Twitter at @FightCoveMike. Also, follow @FightCove on Twitter and “Like” Fight Cove on Facebook.