Rani Yahya vs. Josh Clopton slated for UFC 163 in Rio A featherweight bout between Rani Yahya (18-7 MMA, 3-1 UFC) and Josh Clopton (6-1-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is in the works for August’s UFC 163 event in Brazil.

MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) today confirmed the planned matchup with sources close to the event. UFC officials subsequently made a formal announcement.

UFC 163 takes place Aug. 3 at HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and Facebook.

Yahya vs. Clopton likely will be part of the prelims.

Yahya, a former WEC bantamweight title challenger, has found new life since his return to the featherweight division and his move to the UFC. In four octagon appearances, he’s posted a 3-1 record. His lone defeat came to perennial contender Chad Mandes while his victories have come over notables Mike Brown, Josh Grispi and Mizuto Hirota.

Clopton, who had a brief appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter 14,” got a fight at the show’s live finale even though he wasn’t an official cast member. After a 6-0-1 start to his career on the regional circuit, he suffered a decision loss to Steven Siler in that UFC debut. However, he hasn’t fought since the December 2011 defeat.

The latest UFC 163 card now includes:

Champ Jose Aldo vs. Anthony Pettis – for featherweight title Phil Davis vs. Lyoto Machida Josh Koscheck vs. Demian Maia Thales Leites vs. Tom Watson Vinny Magalhaes vs. Anthony Perosh Cezar Ferreira vs. Clint Hester Robert Drysdale vs. Ednaldo Oliveira Josh Clopton vs. Rani Yahya Neil Magny vs. Sergio Moraes Sheila Gaff vs. Amanda Nunes

For more on UFC 163, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.

(Pictured: Rani Yahya)