A flyweight matchup is the latest addition to UFC 251.
On July 11, Zhalgas Zhumagulov will face Raulian Paiva on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi – also known as “Fight Island.”
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking on Tuesday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Zhumagulov (13-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) was scheduled to make his promotional debut vs. Jordan Espinosa on June 13 in Kazakhstan, but the event was canceled due to the coronavirus outbreak. Zhumagulov, a former FNG flyweight champion, has won his last four in a row, including wins over former UFC flyweight title challenger Ali Bagautinov, Tyson Nam, and newly-signed Tagir Ulanbekov.
Paiva (19-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) punched his ticket to the UFC in 2018 with a win over Allan Nascimento in Dana White’s Contender Series. In his last outing, Paiva snapped a two-fight losing skid with a knockout win over Mark De La Rosa – his first UFC victory.
With the addition, the current UFC 251 lineup includes:
- Champ Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns – for the UFC welterweight title
- Champ Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway – for the UFC featherweight title
- Jose Aldo vs. Petr Yan – for the vacant UFC bantamweight title
- Amanda Ribas vs. Paige VanZant
- Frankie Edgar vs. Pedro Munhoz
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Ciryl Gane
- Volkan Oezdemir vs. Jiri Prochazka
- Raulian Paiva vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
