Drakkar Klose gets a new opponent for his next appearance at UFC Vegas 19.
Luis Peña asked the UFC brass for a fight last week and got one this week. Per a report from Mike Heck of MMA Fighting, Peña has agreed to step in on short-notice for a fight against Drakkar Klose at UFC Vegas 19 after original opponent, Jai Herbert fell out due to undisclosed reasons.
Both Peña and his management team have since confirmed the fight on social media following the initial report.
Peña last appeared inside of the Octagon in June 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Poirier vs. Hooker, where he was submitted by Khama Worthy in the third round. Prior to the loss, “Violent Bob Ross” defeated Steve Garcia by way of unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night: Benavidez vs. Figueiredo in February.
Klose is making his return after suffering the first knockout loss of his professional career to Beneil Dariush in a back-and-forth affair at UFC 248 in March 2020. The loss to Dariush snapped an impressive three-fight win streak Klose was on, with unanimous decision wins over notable names like Lando Vannata, Bobby Green and Christos Giagos.
UFC Vegas 19 will be headlined by a heavyweight fight between top five ranked contenders in Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis, which was rescheduled from its original date in November. Other announced fights for the card is a heavyweight pairing between former champion Andrei Arlovski and Tom Aspinall as well as the return of Aleksei Oleinik against Chris Daukaus.
The bout order for UFC Vegas 19 has yet to be finalized, but is expected to be in the coming days.