Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson will put his title on the line for the twelfth time this Saturday night (July 28, 2018) at UFC 227 in Los Angeles, CA., but the contender for the winner of that fight could be revealed in a couple months.
According to ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, UFC is looking to book a potential No. 1 contenders fight between Sergio Pettis and Jussier Formiga for the upcoming UFC 229 pay-per-view (PPV) event.
Nug from today’s “Ariel & The Bad Guy” episode, which comes out momentarily on @espn+: Sergio Pettis vs. Jussier Formiga is in the works for UFC 229 on Oct. 6. No. 1 contender fight at 125? pic.twitter.com/P4hZfCRyG6
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) August 1, 2018
Pettis has won five of his last six and was last seen edging out Joseph Benavidez at UFC 225 this past June, which has been good enough to give him the No. 2 ranking in the world. As for Formiga, the No. 5 ranked 125-pounder on the planet has won two straight and has often been overlooked when it comes to big fights and title consideration.
Formiga last stepped foot inside the Octagon at UFC 221 earlier this year, choking out Ben Nguyen. Prior to that, the Brazilian bomber defeated Ulka Sasaki via the same finish. Now, he will look to score his biggest UFC win to date, and possibly his first-ever shot at a UFC world title.
It won’t be a walk in the park, though, as Pettis is also hoping to score his first championship fight inside the world-famous Octagon, as well.