Ilir Latifi will return to action in February after suffering a career-threatening eye injury.
Latifi (15-8 MMA, 8-6 UFC) faces Alexandr Romanov (15-0 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Feb. 19, promotion officials announced Tuesday. The event does not yet have a confirmed location or venue.
In his most recent outing in June, Latifi snapped a three-fight skid when he edged out Tanner Boser at UFC Fight Night 189. But Latifi didn’t come out of the fight unscathed. He suffered a serious eye injury due to a poke that compromised his vision for three to four weeks.
Moldova’s Romanov remained unbeaten when he scored a second-round TKO of Jared Vanderaa at UFC Fight Night 194 in October. The former EFC heavyweight champion has finished all but one of his pro wins.
With the addition, the Feb. 19 UFC lineup includes:
- Kyle Daukaus vs. Julian Marquez
- Jessica-Rose Clark vs. Stephanie Egger
- Chad Anheliger vs. Jesse Strader
- Austin Lingo vs. Jonathan Pearce
- Mario Bautista vs. Khalid Taha
- Chas Skelly vs. Mark Striegl
- Nasrat Haqparast vs. TBA
- Ilir Latifi vs. Alexandr Romanov
