Demian Maia has a new opponent for his next fight in the UFC.
With Mike Pierce out of TUF: Brazil 3 Finale card with a broken hand, Maia will now face UFC newcomer Alexander Yakovlev in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on May 31. Yakovlev’s coach announced the match-up on his Facebook page.
Maia (18-6), who enters the bout in a two-fight skid, looks to bounce back to the win column after decision losses to Rory MacDonald and Jake Shields. The pair of losses stopped the Maia’s three-fight win streak since cutting down to welterweight.
Yakovlev (21-4-1) signed with the UFC after scoring a decision victory over UFC veteran Paul Daley in Moscow, Russia, and was originally scheduled to meet Brazilian welterweight Yan Cabral at UFC Fight Night’s card in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Yakovlev is set to fight in Brazil, but that doesn’t mean Cabral is off the Cincinnati card. Sources close to the situation told MMAFighting.com that Zak Cummings has agreed to take on the TUF: Brazil 2 veteran on the UFC card on May 10.
Cummings (16-3) made his Octagon debut with a quick submission victory over Ben Alloway at UFC Fight Night 27. He enters the fight riding a three-fight win streak, all with first-round submissions.
Cabral (11-0) made his much anticipated UFC debut in October, defeating David Mitchell via unanimous decision at UFN 29. Prior to the win, the Nova Uniao fighter earned 10 straight submission victories, including a second-round win over MMA legend Kazushi Sakuraba.