WEC featherweight Erik Koch (10-1) will face newcomer Francisco Rivera (5-0) on the main card of WEC 52: Faber vs. Mizugaki on Nov. 11 in Las Vegas.
The WEC recently announced the bout and Koch gave his quick thoughts on the matchup in an email to ProMMAnow.com.
“Love the match up and just glad i got a fight!” Koch said. “This one should be fireworks!”
Koch was originally scheduled to face top contender Josh Grispi in the co-main event, but Grispi was pulled from the fight and given an opportunity to face newly-crowned UFC featherweight champion Jose Aldo at UFC 125 on New Years Day. He is 2-1 in the WEC, most recently defeating Bendy Casimir at WEC 49 by first round submission.
In a recent interview with ProMMAnow, after hearing the news that his fight with Grispi was off, Koch said he would continue training with the hope that the WEC could find a replacement. He also gave his thoughts on the WEC-UFC merger set to take place in 2011.
Rivera will make his WEC debut after going undefeated on the California MMA circuit.