Another LFA champion is headed to the UFC.
Current titleholder Carlos Mota has signed with the promotion, stepping in on short notice to replace Kleydson Rodrigues against Cody Durden. The bout takes place Saturday as part of UFC Fight Night 213 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking Monday to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA Fighting first reported the booking.
Widely regarded as one of the best unsigned flyweights in the world, Mota (8-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) knocked out Rizvan Abuev to claim LFA gold in August. Outside of a loss in January 2022 to current UFC flyweight Charles Johnson, Mota has not been defeated. Four of his eight wins have come by knockout.
Durden (13-4-1 MMA, 2-2-1 UFC) enters the fight off a 68-second knockout victory over JP Buys in June. The win returned Durden into the win column after a 58-second submission loss to Muhammad Mokaev in March.
With the change, the UFC Fight Night 213 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
- Calvin Kattar vs. Arnold Allen
- Max Griffin vs. Tim Means
- Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Jared Vanderaa
- Josh Fremd vs. Tresean Gore
- Dustin Jacoby vs. Khalil Rountree
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 4 p.m. ET)
- Roman Dolidze vs. Phil Hawes
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
- Joseph Holmes vs. Junyong Park
- Steve Garcia vs. Chase Hooper
- Cody Durden vs. Carlos Mota
- Christian Rodriguez vs. TBA
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 213.
