Ariel Helwani breaks the news via Versus.com:
Japanese featherweight star Michihiro Omigawa has signed with the UFC and will debut against Chad Mendes in either February or March, Versus.com has learned from sources.
Omigawa, 12-8-1, has won his last five fights in a row and is 8-2-1 since dropping down to featherweight.
The 34-year-old Japanese fighter is universally considered one of the 10 best featherweights in the world. He has defeated the likes of Hatsu Hioki, Cole Escovedo, Marlon Sandro and Nam Phan.
Omigawa’s move the UFC has been a lengthy process due to what has been rumored to be some high demands at the negotiating table. His status in Japan has grown substantially since his move to the featherweight division, and notable victories over Hatsu Hioki, Marlon Sandro, Hiroyuki Takaya, LC Davis, and Micah Miller have further solidified him a legitimate top ten talent in the division. Despite the criticism that he’s been gifted a few decisions during his reign in both Sengoku and DREAM, it hasn’t affected his popularity with fans or leverage in getting a substantial contract from the UFC. We can only speculate how much money he’ll be earning, but I would imagine that the UFC will try to take advantage of his popularity in Asia.
Mendes will be a difficult challenge for the Hidehiko Yoshida-trained judoka, and it’s apparent that the UFC intends to use him to bring more credibility to Mendes’ status as a challenger to the crown. Omigawa’s strength and ability to use his Judo skills effectively in the clinch will clash head on with Mendes’ powerful wrestling background, and it’ll be interesting to see whether Omigawa can produce a victory over Mendes with his much improved boxing skills.