Swedish standout Per Eklund (Pictures) will fight TKO lightweight champion Sam Stout (Pictures) on the undercard of the Jan. 19 UFC lightweight title fight between B.J. Penn (Pictures) and Joe Stevenson, Eklund's manager, Manos Terzitane, confirmed with Sherdog.com.

A native of Stockholm, Eklund turns 27 next Monday. He is widely regarded as the No. 1 fighter at 155 pounds in Europe.

Undefeated in 2007, Eklund successfully captured and defended the lightweight title of British promotion Strike and Submit, outpointed Shooto amateur Nordic champion Toni Talvitie and made an impressive North American debut over ATT's Rafael Dias (Pictures) at BodogFIGHT's Vancouver tapings in August.

Eklund (12-2-1) also has a victory over PRIDE veteran David Baron (Pictures) and a pair of four-man tournament wins in Denmark and Finland. In his most memorable battle so far, the jiu-jitsu expert, who is also a professional boxer, was stopped by former Shooto welterweight champion Tatsuya Kawajiri (Pictures) in October 2006.

The star of Hilti NHB has signed a four-fight contract with Zuffa that will likely keep him busy in the UFC throughout 2008.

Against Stout, Eklund will face a talented striker with UFC experience. In his March 2006 debut in the Octagon, Stout won a split decision over Spencer Fisher (Pictures), which the Miletich-trained fighter avenged in June on another decision. The 23-year-old kickboxer was also submitted by Kenny Florian (Pictures).

Stout's TKO performances have been particularly impressive. In his 11 fights with the organization, Stout, 12-3-1 overall, has knocked out eight of his opponents and submitted one. He has also managed to defend his lightweight title, which he captured with a hard-fought victory over experienced boxer Donald Ouimet (Pictures) in July 2005, four times.

In his most recent bout, Stout knocked out fellow kickboxer Martin Grandmont (Pictures) at TKO 30 on Sept. 28.