Swanson announces he'll face Ortega in UFC Fresno main event

Cub Swanson is headed to "T-City."

The perennial featherweight contender announced late Sunday on Instagram he'll face Brian Ortega in the main event of UFC Fight Night 123 on Dec. 9 at Save Mart Center in Fresno, Calif.

Swanson had been campaigning for a December title shot after outclassing Artem Lobov at UFC Fight Night 108 in April, but he'll have to settle for a fellow top-10 fixture in Ortega instead of vying for revenge against incumbent champ Max Holloway. The fourth-ranked Swanson, 33, has won four straight dating back to April of last year, including a Fight of the Year he took over Doo Ho Choi by unanimous decision at UFC 206 last December.

Ortega heads into the stiffest test of his career - just a few hours north of his native Los Angeles - with a perfect pro record of 12-0. A first-round tapout of Mike De La Torre that was later overturned to a no-contest notwithstanding, the jiu-jitsu specialist has finished all four of his UFC conquests in the third round, most recently submitting Renato Moicano in a Fight of the Year candidate of his own at UFC 214. The victory moved him into the sixth spot of the promotion's featherweight rankings.