The UFC now has a full card for Fight Night 39, which is scheduled to go down in April from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The new additions range from brand-name veterans to promotional newcomers.
The news came Tuesday and was initially reported by Guilherme Cruz of of MMA Fighting.
Featherweights Clay Guida and Tatsuya Kawajiri will do battle in the evening’s co-main event. The main event, which was previously scheduled, features heavyweights Roy Nelson and Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira.
Two heavyweights on the younger ends of their UFC careers, standout wrestler Jared Rosholt and Polish submission artist Daniel Omielanczuk, will both try to build on successful octagon debuts.
The card also will contain two middleweight contests, with bruisers Andrew Craig and Chris Camozzi and grapplers Thales Leites and Trevor Smith hooking up.
Undefeated Long Island welterweight Ryan LaFlare will look to continue his unexpected UFC run of success when he meets another feel-good story in John “Doomsday” Howard, who is 2-0 since returning to the UFC after two years on the regional circuit.
MMA prospect watchers will be pleased to see Jim Alers on the Abu Dhabi slate. The Florida native and reigning featherweight champion for Great Britain’s venerable Cage Warriors promotion will make his UFC debut at Fight Night 39 against Alan Omer, himself a well-regarded fighter who returned to action this month after more than two years on the shelf with injuries.
Bantamweights Rani Yahya and Johnny Bedford also will square off on the card as will former The Ultimate Fighter finalist Ramsey Nijem and Beneil Dariush, a 24-year-old undefeated lightweight who made a successful UFC debut in January.
The flyweights also make an appearance on the card with Turkey’s Alp Ozkilic and Dustin Ortiz.
This event, scheduled for April 11, is the UFC’s second in Abu Dhabi. Flash Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi government, owns 10 percent of UFC parent company Zuffa.
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