Let’s try this again.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) recently rebooked an important lightweight battle for the upcoming “Fight Night” main event on July 9, likely to be held at the APEX facility in Las Vegas, featuring No. 6-ranked Rafael Dos Anjos taking on No. 10-ranked Rafael Fiziev.
That’s according to a report from ESPN.
Dos Anjos (30-13) tried to reinvent himself at 170 pounds and for a hot minute, looked to be on his way to a second world title. Then he ran into a couple of world-class wrestlers and that spelled the end of the Brazilian’s promising welterweight future.
“RDA” returned to lightweight with a split-decision win over Paul Felder in Nov. 2020.
Fiziev (11-1) got a rude welcome to UFC when Magomed Mustafaev kicked him into the phantom zone in April 2019. Since that debut loss, “Ataman” has been nothing short of spectacular, racking up five straight wins with two highlight-reel knockouts.
A victory in “Sin City” could put Fiziev atop a very short list of lightweight title contenders.
The July 9 fight card is also expected to feature a bantamweight battle pitting Cody Garbrandt against Rani Yahya. Elsewhere on the card, Cortney Casey and Antonina Shevchenko collide at flyweight, while Cynthia Calvillo and Nina Nunes hook ‘em up at 115 pounds.
Stay tuned for more upcoming fight card announcements in the coming weeks.