The last time Ireland’s Cathal Pendred stepped into the Octagon, he put on a comeback performance for the ages.
Fighting in front of his countrymen in Dublin, Pendred shook off a horribly one-sided first round against Mike King, then finished King via submission in the second round of their middleweight bout on July 19. The victory earned Pendred a $50,000 postfight bonus.
Pendred (14-2) won’t wait too long for his encore. The UFC announced Friday he’ll meet Russian Gasan Umalatov (15-3-1) in a welterweight bout at the UFC Fight Night card in Stockholm, Sweden on Oct. 4.
For his part, Umalatov is 1-1 in the UFC, having lost a unanimous decision to Neil Magny at UFC 169, then rebounding to decision Paulo Thiago at the TUF: Brazil 3 Finale in May.
The event in Stockholm, with a main event of Gunnar Nelson vs. Rick Story, will air on Fight Pass in North America.