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UFC 168 receives Diego Brandao vs. Dustin Poirier, Uriah Hall vs. Chris Leben

Two new fights are official for UFC 168 on December 28th in Las Vegas, Nevada.

By Mookie Alexander
Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

UFC 168 is expected to be a massive PPV for the promotion, and now the matchmakers are slowly filling up the lineup for the traditional New Year's weekend event. Today the UFC confirmed a featherweight clash between Diego Brandao and Dustin Poirier, as well as a potential "loser gets cut" showdown between Uriah Hall and Chris Leben.

Brandao (18-8) defeated Daniel Pineda in Boston last month, extending his winning streak to 3. The TUF 14 champion is 4-1 in the UFC, with his sole loss coming against Darren Elkins. Poirier (14-3) was involved in a fantastic fight with Erik Koch at UFC 164, where he dropped Koch twice and survived an early submission attempt to win a unanimous decision. "The Diamond" has a 6-2 UFC mark, and was highly competitive in both losses to Cub Swanson and Chan Sung Jung.

Hall (7-4) has been a massive disappointment since tearing through most of his competition on TUF 17. Back-to-back split decision losses to Kelvin Gastelum (now a welterweight) and John Howard (formerly a welterweight) have him on the verge of a UFC release. Leben (22-10) was one of the most feared punchers in the division, but in recent times he's looked every bit like a shopworn fighter experiencing a sharp decline. He's lost 3 straight, with his latest loss coming against Andrew Craig at UFC 162.

UFC 168 will host the middleweight title rematch between champion Chris Weidman and Anderson Silva, a co-main event title rematch between Ronda Rousey and Miesha Tate, as well as a key heavyweight battle between Josh Barnett and Travis Browne.

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