Lightweights Anthony Njokuani, Vinc Pichel Paired for UFC 173 in Las Vegas

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Anthony Njokuani and Vinc Pichel will face off in a 155-pound showdown at UFC 173.

The UFC on Tuesday announced that Njokuani and Pichel have verbally agreed to the bout, which will be part of a May 24 card at MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. The pay-per-view event is topped by a UFC middleweight title fight between champion Chris Weidman and former light heavyweight titlist Lyoto Machida.

Part of the Zuffa roster since joining World Extreme Cagefighting in 2009, Njokuani has alternated wins and losses in six fights since joining the UFC in 2011. The 34-year-old, Nigerian-born “Assassin” has been out of the cage for nearly one year, his last appearance coming in an April 2013 knockout victory against Roger Bowling.

Pichel, 31, was a semi-finalist on season 15 of “The Ultimate Fighter,” where he was eliminated by eventual runner-up Al Iaquinta. In official UFC bouts, Pichel is 1-1; “From Hell” suffered a nasty knockout against Rustam Khabilov in 2012, but rebounded in January by outpointing Garett Whiteley.