One FC 9 Undercard Gets Heavyweights Tim Sylvia, Tony Johnson Jr., 2 More Prelims

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Three preliminary bouts have been signed for One FC 9, including a heavyweight showdown between former UFC titlist Tim Sylvia and ex-King of the Cage champ Tony Johnson Jr.

Subtitled “Rise to Power,” One FC 9 takes place May 31 from Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay, Philippines. The event streams live via online pay-per-view and is headlined by a featherweight title tilt between Honorio Banario and Koji Oishi.

In addition to the Sylvia-Johnson duel, the undercard will also see Lowen Tynanes square off with Felipe Enomoto at lightweight, while Ryan Diaz collides with Yusup Saadulaev at 135 pounds.

Sylvia, 37, exited the Octagon in 2008 and has never returned. The former two-time UFC champion made his One FC debut last August at “Pride of a Nation,” squaring off with nemesis Andrei Arlovski in the fourth meeting of their career, which ended in a no-contest after Arlovski landed a series of kicks to the head of a downed Sylvia before the referee had called “open attack.” Most recently, Sylvia was outpointed by Olympic judo gold medalist Satoshi Ishii, falling to the Japanese talent on New Year’s Eve at Inoki Bom-Ba-Ye 2012.

Johnson, meanwhile, returns to competition after nearly two years on the shelf. The heavyweight was last seen in June 2011, when he took a unanimous decision from Derrick Lewis at Bellator 46. Johnson bested Tony Lopez to became the KOTC heavyweight champ in March 2010 but was relieved of the title in his first defense, falling via first-round submission to future Strikeforce and UFC talent Daniel Cormier.