Timur Valiev is now a member of the UFC roster, and his promotional debut is being finalized.
Valiev (16-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), a former WSOF and PFL standout, is slated to take on promotional sophomore Jamall Emmers in a featherweight bout on its upcoming Aug. 1 card in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the targeted booking Monday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Valiev, 30, has long been considered one of the best bantamweight fighters outside of the UFC. He trains with the likes of Frankie Edgar, Eddie Alvarez, and Zabit Magomedsharipov. The Russian fighter holds wins over Chris Gutierrez, Bekbulat Magomedov, and Josenaldo Silva.
Emmers (17-5 MMA, 0-1 UFC) dropped his promotional debut at UFC 248 in March. Against surging Georgian Giga Chikadze, Emmers lost a split decision. Prior to his UFC debut, Emmers had won four straight fights inside the distance.
With the addition, the current Aug. 1 lineup includes:
- Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana
- Derek Brunson vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
- Markus Perez vs. Eric Spicely
- Yana Kunitskaya vs. Ketlen Vieira
- Trevin Giles vs. Jun Yong Park
- Ed Herman vs. Da Un Jung
- Randy Brown vs. Vicente Luque
- Viviane Araujo vs. Jennifer Maia
- Jonathan Martinez vs. Frankie Saenz
- Chris Gutierrez vs. Luke Sanders
- Ray Borg vs. Nathan Maness
- Jamall Emmers vs. Timur Valiev
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