[sousuke22]

Official, it would seem.

Sources from both fighters’ camps have confirmed that Kenny Florian will face Roger Huerta at UFC 87 on Aug. 9 in Minneapolis, Minn. Both fighters have received and are expected to sign their bout agreements.



Florian is just weeks removed from an impressive win against Joe Lauzon at UFC Fight Night 13 in Broomfield, Colo. The Boston lightweight has been rapidly climbing back to contender status since his loss to Sean Sherk for the lightweight title at UFC 64.



Florian knows his next shot at the lightweight belt is on the line.



"It's kind of rare when you get two guys who are positively number one and number two in the division that are actually going to fight to be the number one contender to fight for that belt later on," Florian told MMAWeekly.com. "I think it will be great for both of our careers, and it's the biggest fight you can put together in our division."



Huerta, who currently resides in Minnesota, exploded onto the scene in 2007 with five straight victories, most recently a come-from-behind win against Clay Guida at The Ultimate Fighter 6 finale that was widely considered to be one of the best fights of 2007. The fight with Florian will be his first in nine months, part of a self-expressed desire to take time off following one of the busiest stretches in his career.



"He's a game opponent, and he's never going to quit," Florian said of Huerta's reputation. "It doesn't matter how tired he gets, he's gonna keep going, and those are the kind of guys that I want to fight. He's on a roll, he's very confident right now. And I like the kid. I know him personally. He's a good kid, and we get along great. He has a bright future, regardless of what happens in the fight with me."



The showdown will bolster a fight card that also touts another match-up with strong local interest between Minnesota native Brock Lesnar and former UFC heavyweight champion and Ohio State wrestler Mark Coleman.



Huerta was unavailable for comment at the time of publication.



(MMAWeekly did however catch up with Huerta recently and conducted a video interview in which he expressed his interest in the fight with Florian. He also discussed his appearance in the upcoming Tekken movie and much more. Click here to watch the Roger Huerta video interview.)