Rafaello Oliveira – photo via UFC.com
A UFC lightweight bout between Rafaello ‘Tractor’ Oliveira (14-5) and promotion sophomore Yoislandy Izquierdo (6-1) appears to be on tap for this July’s upcoming UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II event.
News of the matchup was announced by Izquierdo’s management group on Monday, Mundus Sports Management, through MMAjunkie.com.
UFC 148: Silva vs. Sonnen II is expected to take place on July 7, 2012 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. The event features a middleweight title rematch between champion Anderson Silva and challenger Chael Sonnen, while Urijah Faber takes on Renan Barao in a UFC interim bantamweight title bout.
Oliveira was to have fought this past January at UFC on FX 1 versus Reza Madadi but was forced off the card due to injury. ‘Tractor’ had his last fight in October at the UFC on Versus 6 show, losing via second round TKO to Yves Edwards. That defeat was the second straight loss for Oliveira, who was submitted by Gleison Tibau at UFC 130, and will likely face release should he lose this fight with Izquierdo.
Izquierdo also enters this match on a loss, having suffered the first defeat of his career at the hands of Madadi this past April in Stockholm, Sweden at UFC on FUEL TV 2 via second round guillotine choke. The loss ended a six fight win streak which saw the Cuban-American earn all of his wins in Florida with four straight in 2011 under the Championship Fighting Alliance banner.