BREAKING: UFC 155lbs title is on the line ONLY on #UFCFIGHTPASS, Thursday, July 7 @RdosAnjosMMA vs @Ealvarezfight! pic.twitter.com/BwxI5T2vat
— UFC Fight Pass (@UFCFightPass) April 15, 2016
The push to make UFC Fight Pass an important all-digital service continues, as the promotion announced on Friday that Rafael dos Anjos will defend his lightweight title against Eddie Alvarez this July.
Dos Anjos vs. Alvarez will air on Fight Pass July 7 from the MGM Grand Garden Arena. The event will likely be titled UFC Fight Night 90.
The 31-year-old dos Anjos (25-7) earned his fifth consecutive victory this past December when he finished Donald Cerrone in just 66 seconds. It marked his first title defense, as he was expected to do the same vs. Conor McGregor earlier this year before a foot injury scrapped the contest.
Dos Anjos won the belt in 2015 vs. Anthony Pettis and has defeated the likes of Nate Diaz, Benson Henderson and Jason High since a 2014 loss to Khabib Nurmagomedov.
Alvarez (27-4) is a former Bellator champion who has picked up a pair of split decisions over Pettis and Gilbert Melendez since losing to Cerrone in his UFC debut two years ago. Overall, he is 5-1 over his last six fights, having also defeated Michael Chandler, Patricky “Pitbull” Freire and Shinya Aoki inside the Bellator cage.
The promotion will hold three events in three days during “International Fight Week,” as The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale and UFC 200 are scheduled for Friday and Saturday of that week.