Nik Lentz, Diego Nunes Targeted for Jan. 19 Featherweight Duel in Brazil

Brazilian outlet Portal do Vale Tudo initially reported the matchup on Thursday, and Sherdog.com Friday confirmed the planned booking with a source close to the bout, who relayed that contracts have not yet been distributed. The UFC has made no official announcement about either the Lentz-Nunes matchup or the Jan. 19 event.

Lentz, 28, looked sharp in his Aug. 11 featherweight debut at UFC 150, as “The Carny” stopped Eiji Mitsuoka with punches in just 3:45. The triumph came on the heels of back-to-back lightweight defeats for the seven-year pro, who closed out 2011 with a decision loss to Mark Bocek before falling to Evan Dunham due to a doctor’s stoppage this past January at UFC on Fox 2.

Nunes, meanwhile, has split his last four bouts. The 29-year-old most recently competed on Oct. 5 at UFC on FX 5, earning “Fight of the Night” honors for his hard-fought unanimous decision victory over fellow World Extreme Cagefighting alum Bart Palaszewski. The victory brings Nunes’ record this year to 1-1, as “The Gun” was outpointed by Dennis Siver on April 14 at UFC on Fuel TV 2.