Machida Gets Mousasi Next

After smashing his way into the middleweight rankings via a first-round knockout of Mark Munoz at last weekend's event in Manchester, former light heavyweight champion Lyoto Machida will now get a fight closer to home.

Machida's next assignment comes in the form of a five-round main event against former Strikeforce light heavyweight champion Gegard Mousasi, who's currently ranked eighth in the light heavyweight division. The matchup is scheduled to take place February 8 in Jaragua do Sol, Brazil, in an event televised on FOX Sports 2.

Mousasi requested the matchup after last Saturday's fight, saying that he wanted to move to middleweight -- as Machida recently did -- and try for a shot at title contention.