Aaron Simpson, Jon Fitch set to fight

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FAIRFAX, Va. -- Aaron Simpson will make his welterweight debut July 11 against perennial contender Jon Fitch.

UFC on Fuel 4 is scheduled to be held on that date in San Jose, Calif.

Simpson, who has competed at middleweight, revealed his upcoming bout Monday before the UFC on Fuel 3 weigh-ins at Patriot center.

"It's a fight that we asked for and I wanted to cut to 170," said Simpson, who has a professional record of 11-3. "I wanted to fight the best, not someone who is just coming in and trying to make a name.

"I'm excited. Jon Fitch is a very worthy opponent. I have a lot of respect for him."

Simpson has hinted at moving to 170 pounds for a while, but began to speak more convincingly about doing so after his split-decision loss Feb. 15 to Ronny Markes.

The loss snapped Simpson's three-fight win streak.

"I've had some success with these bigger guys," Simpson said. "I weigh about 193 pounds right now as we speak and I've yet to cut down.

"In my last fight against Ronny Markes, he tweeted that he weighed 218 pounds and I weighed 191 pounds in the fight.

"In all my fights I've been the smaller guy. It will be an advantage for me to at least be the same size as my opponent, if not a little bigger."

Fitch (23-4-1 with one no contest) will look to end a two-fight winless skid.

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Franklin McNeil

Boxing, Mixed Martial Arts

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• MMA columnist for ESPN.com
• Analyst for "MMA Live"
• Covered MMA/Boxing for The Star-Ledger