Marlon Vera might not be getting a ranked opponent for his next UFC bout, but he will get his hands on a former champion.
The Ecuadorian fighter will take on former WEC champ Eddie Wineland in a bantamweight bout at UFC on ESPN 6 in at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 28.
MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup with a person with knowledge of the booking Friday after an initial posting by the UFC’s broadcast partner, ESPN.
Vera (15-5-1 MMA, 9-4 UFC) was scheduled to fight at UFC 247, but an injury sustained by Jimmie Rivera left him without an opponent. Vera currently is on a five-fight winning streak, all by stoppage. He most recently fought at UFC Tampa, where he picked up a TKO victory over Andre Ewell.
Wineland (24-13-1 MMA, 6-7 UFC) hasn’t set foot in the octagon since UFC 238 in June 2019, where he defeated Grigory Popov in front of his home-area fans in Chicago to snap a two-fight skid. The 35-year-old fighter holds notable wins over Takeya Mizugaki, Brad Pickett and Scott Jorgensen.
With the addition, the latest UFC on ESPN 8 lineup includes:
- Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Raphael Assuncao vs. Cody Garbrandt
- Aspen Ladd vs. Julianna Pena
- Yorgan De Castro vs. Greg Hardy
- Mizuki Inoue vs. Tecia Torres
- Miguel Baeza vs. Matt Brown
- Davey Grant vs. Louis Smolka
- Sam Alvey vs. Khalil Rountree
- Punahele Soriano vs. Eric Spicely
- Tanner Boser vs. Jeff Hughes
- Laureano Staropoli vs. Kaos Williams
- Randy Costa vs. Martin Day
- Raoni Barcelos vs. Cody Stamann
- Marlon Vera vs. Eddie Wineland
