Mike Lullo drops weight class, ready for UFC return

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Updated: July 16, 2011 3:57PM

Chicago’s Mike Lullo has a return date in the Octagon.

After taking his first UFC fight with seven days to prepare, the Addison native is excited to have a full 10 weeks for his next fight. He will face Mackens Semerzier on Sept. 17 at UFC Fight Night in New Orleans.

For the fight, Lullo will drop a weight class, from lightweight to featherweight.

“I’m excited to go down to 145,” Lullo told the Sun-Times. “It’s a better weight class for me. I don’t cut a lot of weight to go down to 155. I’m usually walking around at 160, so for me to make 155, I never really cut any weight. I think it will be a lot better for me.”

Lullo (8-2, 0-1 UFC) said he found out about the opportunity Thursday night and is excited to bounce back after his disappointing UFC debut — a loss against Edson Barboza at UFC 123 on Nov. 23. Barboza’s repeated leg kicks forced a third-round stoppage.

‘‘I didn’t think his leg kicks were going to be as vicious as they actually were,’’ Lullo said. ‘‘I had fought three lefties in a row, and they all throw that leg kick. The biggest thing was that leg kick. I needed to check that — and I’ve been checking leg kicks really well now. I don’t see anyone finishing me like that ever again.’’

He spent four months recuperating from those painful kicks that tightened up his IT band, which is the group of fibers that connect the thigh and knee.

‘‘It was about four months until it really loosened up,’’ he said. ‘‘I lost a lot of flexibility, but the last few months I’ve been 100 percent.’’

His opponent Semerzier (6-3, 1-0 UFC) trains at Linxx Academy in Virginia Beach, Va., and fights under the Team Curran banner.

“He’s a tough, scrappy guy. He’s got some jiu-jitsu and he’s got striking. He’s really tough,” Lullo said.

After losing three consecutive fights in the WEC, Semerzier defeated “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 12 cast member Alex “Bruce Leroy” Caceres with a first-round submission in his UFC debut. In addition to training with Jeff Curran, Semerzier has also trained at Miguel Torres’ gym in Hammond, Ind.