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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) has once again beaten everyone to the punch and landed a former Olympian. The world’s leading mixed martial arts (MMA) organization bolstered up its roster by signing Mark O. Madsen, the Danish Greco-Roman wrestler who won the silver medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero, Brazil.
No stranger to the mixed marital arts (MMA) scene, Madsen — who competes at Lightweight — is 8-0 as a pro fighter, with all of his professional fights taking place in Denmark. So it’s no surprise he will be making his Octagon debut at the upcoming UFC Fight Night 160 event in Copenhagen, Denmark against Danilo Belluardo on Sept. 28, 2019.
Mark O. Madsen vs Danilo Belluardo is official for #UFCCopenhagen!
Get your tickets: https://t.co/xFn8qiyNpH pic.twitter.com/PtUV61ElLR
— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) August 22, 2019
Madsen joins fighters such as Daniel Cormier, Sara McMann, Ronda Rousey and Henry Cejudo, just to name a few, who have transitioned from the Olympics over to MMA.
Belluardo, meanwhile, was unsuccessful in his Octagon debut, losing to Joel Alvarez via second-round knockout at UFC Fight Night 153 just two months ago. The loss snapped his six fight win streak, bringing his record to 12-4.
UFC Copenhagen will be headlined by a pivotal Middleweight showdown between Jack Hermansson and Jared Cannonier, while Gunnar Nelson and Thiago Alves throw down at Welterweight.
To see the latest UFC Fight Night 160: “Hermansson vs. Cannonier” fight card click here.