Nik Lentz, Diego Nunes Targeted for Jan. 19 Featherweight Duel in Brazil

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A featherweight showdown between Nik Lentz and Diego Nunes is in the works for a to-be-named Jan. 19 UFC event in Brazil.

Brazilian outlet Portal do Vale Tudo initially reported the matchup on Thursday, and Sherdog.com Friday confirmed the planned booking with a source close to the bout, who relayed that contracts have not yet been distributed. The UFC has made no official announcement about either the Lentz-Nunes matchup or the Jan. 19 event.

Lentz, 28, looked sharp in his Aug. 11 featherweight debut at UFC 150, as “The Carny” stopped Eiji Mitsuoka with punches in just 3:45. The triumph came on the heels of back-to-back lightweight defeats for the seven-year pro, who closed out 2011 with a decision loss to Mark Bocek before falling to Evan Dunham due to a doctor’s stoppage this past January at UFC on Fox 2.

Nunes, meanwhile, has split his last four bouts. The 29-year-old most recently competed on Oct. 5 at UFC on FX 5, earning “Fight of the Night” honors for his hard-fought unanimous decision victory over fellow World Extreme Cagefighting alum Bart Palaszewski. The victory brings Nunes’ record this year to 1-1, as “The Gun” was outpointed by Dennis Siver on April 14 at UFC on Fuel TV 2.