Another Japanese fighter will get the chance to fight on his home soil in February and it is none other than featherweight, Hatsu Hioki.

Sources close to the situation confirmed Sunday afternoon that Hatsu Hioki vs. Bart Palaszewski is in the works for the UFC’s first ever show in the land of the rising sun.

“UFC 144: Japan”, while not yet made official by the promotion, is expected to go down on February 26 live from the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama, Japan. As of current date, the event is expected to be headlined by a lightweight title fight between champion Frankie Edgar and challenger Benson Henderson.

Hioki was last seen in his UFC debut against George Roop at UFC 137. It was a closely contested bout, but ultimately the grappling prowess of Hioki earned him a unanimous decision victory. Widely regarded as a top three featherweight fighter, the former Shooto and Sengoku champion was expected to make waves in the featherweight division and give Joe Aldo another possible challenger.

Palaszewski also last stepped into the cage at UFC 137 in his debut for the UFC organization. Featured on the Spike prelim special, he was able to take out long-time UFC fighter, Tyson Griffin with a Knockout of the Night performance. The former WEC and IFL fighter with a long history in the sport improved to 5-1 in his last six fights with the victory over Griffin last month.

No word on the bouts placement on the card but due to the nature it is booking up, expect this fight to be on the prelim portion.

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