Nicolas Dalby is back.
And he is set to make his UFC return in his home country of Denmark, when he takes on Alex Oliveira at UFC on ESPN+ 18 in Copenhagen, UFC officials announced Friday.
UFC on ESPN+ 18 takes place Sept. 28 at Royal Arena in Copenhagen, Denmark. The entire card is expected to stream on ESPN+.
Dalby (17-3-1 MMA, 1-3-1 UFC) will make his much-anticipated return to the UFC, and he will get to do it in front of his home crowd. Since being released by the UFC in September 2016, he went 3-1-1, notching three straight finishes and winning the Cage Warriors welterweight title for the second time in his career. During his first UFC stint, he had a memorable “Fight of the Night” battle vs. Darren Till at UFC Fight Night 76, which ended in a majority draw.
He will face a stern test in his return, when he takes on Brazil’s Oliveira.
Oliveira (19-7-1 MMA, 9-5-1 UFC) is coming off back-to-back losses for the first time in his pro MMA career. He was submitted by Gunnar Nelson at this past December’s UFC 231 and dropped a unanimous decision to Mike Perry at this past April’s UFC on ESPN+ 8.
Owner of five performance bonuses, Oliveira will look to bounce back when he takes on the equally game Dalby, who’s been in a few entertaining battles himself.
With the addition, the latest UFC on ESPN+ 18 lineup includes:
- Jack Hermansson vs. Jared Cannonier
- Thiago Alves vs. Gunnar Nelson
- Macy Chiasson vs. Lina Lansberg
- Ion Cutelaba vs. Khalil Rountree
- Alessio Di Chirico vs. Peter Sobotta
- Michal Oleksiejczuk vs. Ovince Saint Preux
- Alen Amedovski vs. John Phillips
- Nicolas Dalby vs. Alex Oliveira
