Johnson will go for his third straight win when he meets Howard. Johnson last fought at the UFC Fight Night 17, where he scored a first-round TKO over Luigi Fioravanti. Meanwhile, Howard recently made a successful octagon debut by scoring an impressive split-decision win over a very tough Chris Wilson at UFC 94.

The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale also features the welterweight and lightweight finales for the upcoming ninth season of "TUF".