By MATT MOLGAARD
MMANEWS.COM Staff Writer

A pair of compelling fights have now officially been added to the UFC’s forthcoming June 22nd event on FX, and UFC 148, which unfolds on July 7th.

Former lightweight title challenger Gray Maynard (10-1-1) will return to action for the first time since being knocked unconscious by Frankie Edgar at UFC 136. He’ll collide with perennial top contender, Clay Guida (29-12), who will also be aiming to put himself back in the win column; he was outworked over the course of three rounds at UFC on Fox 1 by current champion Benson Henderson. The two will tangle for five rounds when they headline UFC on FX 4.

In addition to the highly relevant lightweight bout, the summer will also boast an interesting middleweight collision between former champion Rich Franklin (28-6-0-1) and former Strikeforce standout, Cung Le (7-2), who meet at UFC 148.

Franklin’s return to the 185 pound ranks comes as a bit of a surprise, as he’s campaigned as a light heavyweight for his last two bouts and was expected to meet Antonio Rogerio Nogueira last year before a shoulder injury left him sidelined. Franklin has picked up just two victories in his last five fights; toppling Chuck Liddell and Wanderlei Silva, while falling to Forrest Griffin, Vitor Belfort and Dan Henderson.

Cung Le in contrast has yet to taste victory inside the UFC’s famed octagon. After compiling a 7-1 record fighting for Strikeforce, Le made the migration to the UFC, where he debuted last year at UFC 139. Le met Wanderlei Silva in what promised to be a scintillating middleweight affair. After enjoying some early success, Le found himself on the receiving end of Silva’s trademark knees. He was stopped in 4:49 of the second round.

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