Welterweights Jake Ellenberger, Stephen Thompson to Clash at UFC 189 in Las Vegas

---

A welterweight showdown between Jake Ellenberger and Stephen Thompson has been added to the UFC 189 lineup.

A promotion official confirmed the matchup following an initial report from ESPN.com. According to that report, Ellenberger was initially paired with Tyron Woodley, but the matchup was changed when Woodley did not agree to the bout.

UFC 189 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on July 11 and is headlined by a featherweight title tilt between Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. In the evening’s co-main event, Robbie Lawler will defend the welterweight strap against Rory MacDonald.

Ellenberger ended a three-fight skid at UFC 184, when he submitted Josh Koscheck with a north-south choke 4:20 into the second round of their encounter. “The Juggernaut” owns notable triumphs over Mike Pyle, Jake Shields, Diego Sanchez and Nate Marquardt over the course of a promotional tenure that began in 2009.

A rib injury knocked Thompson out of a proposed bout against Brandon Thatch at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 14. “Wonderboy” is 5-1 in the Octagon, including a unanimous decision triumph over Patrick Cote in his most recent outing at UFC 178.