Robert Drysdale is finally set to make his UFC debut.
A decorated grappler with multiple ADCC and jiu-jitsu world titles, Drysdale will enter the Octagon at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale card in Las Vegas, Nev. on July 6, against Keith Berish. Sources close to the situation confirmed the news to MMAFighting.com. Tatame first reported the match-up.
Drysdale, 6-0 in MMA with six first-round submissions, was initially set to make his promotional debut on Aug. 3 against Ednaldo Oliveira, but was forced out of the UFC 163 card with a staph infection. He was later slated to fight Cody Donovan at UFC 167, but he tested positive for elevated testosterone (19.4-to-1 testosterone-to-epitestosterone level) in a Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) mandated out-of-competition drug test.
Berish will also make his UFC debut at the TUF 19 Finale card. Berish enters the Octagon for the first time with a perfect 5-0 record. He last competed in January, scoring a first-round submission over Ariel Sepulveda, and moves up from middleweight to take on Drysdale at 205.
Headlined by a third bout between former UFC champions Frankie Edgar and B.J. Penn, TUF 19 Finale takes place at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.