Rafael dos Anjos Steps Up To 170 Pounds, Faces Tarec Saffiedine at UFC Fight Night in Singapore

When the Ultimate Fighting Championship heads back to Singapore, it will be former UFC champion against former Strikeforce champion.

Monday, UFC officials announced that the promotion's former lightweight kingpin Rafael dos Anjos would step up to 170 pounds to face former Strikeforce welterweight champ Tarec Saffiedine. The news was announced initially via ChannelNewsAsia.com.

The UFC's second Fight Night card in Singapore takes place on June 17 at the Singapore Indoor Stadium in Kallang, Singapore, and airs in its entirety on UFC Fight Pass.

The 32-year-old dos Anjos lost his UFC 155-pound crown to Eddie Alvarez via first-round knockout last July. He turned four months later to meet rising contender Tony Ferguson in Mexico City, but lost a five-round unanimous decision. After the consecutive defeats, the Brazilian announced he was eyeing a move up to 170 pounds.

In January, Saffiedine publicly said he would like to welcome dos Anjos to the division. The 30-year-old Belgian has also lost two in a row, dropping decisions to Rick Story last May, and then Dong Hyun Kim in December.

The UFC also announced a flyweight bout between a pair of unbeatens, as 20-year-old Carls John de Tomas will face 19-year-old Naoki Inoue.