Lightweight rivals Sam “Hands of Stone” Stout and Spencer “The King” Fisher will face off for a third time at UFC on FX 4 on June 22nd in Atlantic City, New Jersey. UFC officials announced the bout on Tuesday. Fisher defeated Stout in the pair’s June 2007 rematch at UFC Fight Night 10.

Both fighters enter the trilogy bout coming off of losses to Thiago Tavares in their most recent fights, but Stout has won four of his past six and remains a threat in the lightweight division. By contrast, Fisher is in need of a big victory in June after dropping four of his past five inside the Octagon.

Stout (17-7-1) earned a razor-thin Split Decision over Fisher when the fighters initially faced off in Stout’s Octagon debut at UFC 58. Stout was quickly submitted in his next bout, however, and had to fight his way back to the UFC. He was matched up against Fisher for a second time in 2007, but came up short on the judges’ scorecards. Since the rematch, Stout has encountered ups and downs in his UFC career, but the talented striker put together arguably the best stretch of his career from 2009 to 2011, winning all but one of his five fights during that time including a first-round knockout of Yves Edwards at UFC 131. Stout dropped a decision to Tavares at UFC 142, but looks to get right back on the winning track with a second victory over Fisher in June.

Fisher (24-8-0) was once one of the top lightweight contenders in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, but the once-durable veteran has struggled in recent years. After avenging the close loss to Stout in the 2007 rematch, Fisher went on to win three of his next four fights, with the lone setback coming against future UFC Lightweight Champion Frankie “The Answer” Edgar. However, Fisher has managed just one win since and he has been finished in two of his recent losses. A third consecutive defeat will likely spell the end of Fisher’s storied tenure in the UFC, but a victory over Stout would settle the score with the Canadian and also earn Fisher a reprieve from the cut list as the lightweight division becomes more and more competitive.

UFC on FX 4 takes place on June 22nd at a venue to be determined in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The event is headlined by Gray “The Bully” Maynard taking on Clay “The Carpenter” Guida.

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)