Ross Pearson will get another chance to dig himself out of his current losing slump when he fights Mizuto Hirota at UFC 221 on February 11th in Perth, Australia.
The last couple of years have been disastrous for Pearson, having been beaten four times in a row, with losses to Will Brooks, Jorge Masvidal and Stevie Ray being followed by a KO defeat against Dan Hooker last time out in New Zealand this psat Summer.
Pearson’s form in the UFC has always been somewhat of a mixed bag, having alternated between wins and losses for several years prior to this, but now his back is really against the wall and the 33-year-old really needs to find a victory here if he wants to stick around in the UFC.
The former TUF: The Smashes winner will be facing Japan’s Hirota, who has been forced to move back up to lightweight for the first time in over five years after failing to make weight for a featherweight bout at UFC Fight Night 117 back in September.
Hirota first fought for the UFC back in 2013, but was soon released after losing two fights in a row. However, he then fought his way back into the promotion in 2015 after taking Teruto Ishihara to a draw in the ‘Road To UFC: Japan’ tournament final, and has since picked up a further win and loss in the Octagon.
Pearson Vs Hirota joins a UFC 221 card that will be headlined by a middleweight title fight between Robert Whittaker and Luke Rockhold, while Mark Hunt will also return to action against Marcin Tybura.
