By Michael Hatamoto

Former Strikeforce lightweight Lyle “Fancy Pants” Beerbohm will return later this month when he meets Marcus Aurelio in a welterweight showdown for ShoFight in Springfield, Missouri.

The Spokane native bounced back from back-to-back losses to Pat Healy and Shinya Aoki with a pair of quick submission wins – and looks to build momentum towards a move to a bigger MMA promotion later this year.

Beerbohm recently shook up his training by heading to BJJ Spokane, working under the tutelage of BJJ black belt Bart Smith.

“It’s pretty good,” Beerbohm recently told Full Contact Fighter. “(Smith) fine tunes my game, and gives me pointers. Other than that, I’m still doing the normal thing on my own. I’m sparring with lightweight Mike Hanks. I get into the gym and spar with some guys at noon, then return at night to hit mitts and grapple. We always have good practices, and Hanks is a super tough guy.”

Looking forward to the fight against Aurelio, a strong BJJ practitioner, Beerbohm expects a stiff ground battle against the former PRIDE and UFC veteran.

“He’s definitely going to be a good test and it’ll be a fun fight. We’re both ground fighters and like to be on top. I’m ready to go, and I’m ready to fight. It’s going to be a good one. My goal is to finish him, and I predict to finish by TKO via cuts. I’ll push the pace, tire him out, and get him into deep water.”

Beerbohm was offered a chance to fight last month in the UFC against Edson Barboza, though turned down the fight because of an injury that pushed back his fight camp. (Barboza later went on to fight Jamie Varner, losing via TKO in the first round.)

Meanwhile, TUF alum Cody McKenzie is heading to Spokane to continue his training camp for Chad Mendes in early July. Spokane-based fighters Michael Chiesa and Sam Sicilia, both off their stints on the latest season of The Ultimate Fighter, will help bolster a strengthening core group of fighters in the Pacific Northwest.

“It’s great to have everyone back up here and ready to help each other train again. We’re a tough group of guys, and we have a strong team up here.”

A victory against Aurelio could lead Beerbohm, a five-year MMA veteran, to join his teammates and training partners in the UFC lightweight division.