Middleweight contenders will clash in August when Paulo Costa takes on Jared Cannonier.
Costa (13-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Cannonier (13-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) have agreed to a five-round middleweight headliner for UFC Fight Night on Aug. 21. The event does not have an announced location or venue.
MMA Junkie verified the booking with a person close to the situation after UFC president Dana White announced it to broadcast partner ESPN on Wednesday.
Costa, No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, will return to the octagon for the first time since falling short of the title against Israel Adesanya by second-round TKO at UFC 253 in September. It was his first defeat as a professional. He was supposed to face Robert Whittaker in April, but withdrew due to injury.
No. 4-ranked Cannonier, meanwhile, is coming off a unanimous decision loss to Whittaker at the UFC 254 in October. His defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak, and he suffered an arm injury in the bout that’s kept him sidelined since.
The latest lineup for UFC Fight Night on Aug. 21 includes:
- Paulo Costa vs. Jared Cannonier
- Fabio Cherant vs. William Knight
- Austin Hubbard vs. Vinc Pichel
- Alexandre Pantoja vs. Brandon Royval
- Austin Lingo vs. Luis Saldana
- Parker Porter vs. Chase Sherman
