A venerable veteran makes his return to the octagon at UFC on ESPN 3, where he’ll take on a game up-and-comer.
Demian Maia will meet Anthony Rocco Martin in a welterweight matchup on the June 29 event in Minneapolis. MMA Junkie confirm an initial report by the Brazilian website Combate.
Maia (26-9 MMA, 20-9 UFC), who has challenged for both the middleweight and welterweight championships during a UFC run which dates back to 2007, is coming off a first-round submission of Lyman Good at UFC Fortaleza on Feb. 1. That got Maia back into the win column after a three-fight losing streak.
Martin (16-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC), for his part, gets his biggest career fight on the strength of a four-fight win streak. The scrappy Bostonian decisioned Sergio Moraes in his last octagon encounter at UFC Wichita.
UFC Minneapolis will be headlined by a rematch between Tyron Woodley and Robbie Lawler. Woodley knocked out Lawler in the opening round of their UFC 201 fight to claim the welterweight crown.
For more on UFC on ESPN 3, check out our UFC Rumors page.
