Hatsu Hioki to Make Octagon Debut vs. George Roop Oct. 29th
By FCF Staff
The Ultimate Fighting Championship has announced that top ranked featherweight Hatsu Hioki will make his Octagon debut on October 29th against George Roop. The bout will be part of UFC 137, which will be hosted by the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Hioki (24-4-2) will make his way into the UFC riding a four fight winning streak. Most recently at a Shooto event in April, the 27 year-old Hioki (pictured) submitted Donald Sanchez with a second round triangle-choke. Prior to that, at the December 30th “Soul of Fight” event, the former Shooto and Sengoku champion worked his way to a unanimous decision victory over Marlon Sandro.
Roop (12-7-1) recently rebounded from his quick TKO loss to Mark Hominick in January, by stopping Josh Grispi in the third round at the TUF 13 Finale on June 4th. The 29 year-old Roop is 2-2-1 in his last five fights, which includes a devastating, head kick KO win over Chan Sung Jung.
UFC 137 will be headlined by a welterweight bout between champion Georges St. Pierre and former Strikeforce champion Nick Diaz.
Photo: Sengoku Raiden Championship