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After over a year away from action, Dhiego Lima is set to make his Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) return to face off against Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 17, which is set to go down on Dec. 19, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Muhammad was originally set to face Sean Brady, but after the undefeated (13-0, 3-0 UFC) Welterweight contender bowed out last month, the promotion pegged Lima — who last competed at UFC 242 on Oct. 6, 2019 — as his replacement. Winner of three in a row, the Brazilian bomber was supposed to make his return at UFC 247 in February but bowed out to undergo neck surgery.
Muhammad, meanwhile, is currently riding a three-fight win streak of his own and was last seen defeating Lyman Good at UFC Vegas 3 this past June. Overall, Muhammad has won seven of his last eight and could be one more big win away from cracking the Top 15.
UFC Vegas 17 will be headlined by a Welterweight showdown between Khamzat Chimaev and Leon Edwards. In the co-main event, Marlon Moraes will face Rob Font while Stephen Thompson and Geoff Neal collide in a pivotal bout at 170 pounds.