UK lightweight Ross Pearson will look to turnaround a four-fight skid when he faces Mizuto Hirota at UFC 221. Hirota will return to lightweight after being pulled from his featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 117 due to weight cutting issues.
MMAJunkie.com broke the news first on Thursday, with UFC later announcing the fight as official on Saturday.
TUF 9 Winner Pearson suffered one of the most emphatic losses of his career in his last outing when Daniel Hooker knocked him out with a stiff knee in the second round at UFC Fight Night 110 in Auckland.