A battle between lightweight prospects is is the latest addition to UFC 257.
[autotag]Nasrat Haqparast[/autotag] will face [autotag]Arman Tsarukyan[/autotag] on Jan. 23. The event does not yet have a location, but will be headlined by a Conor McGregor vs. Dustin Poirier rematch.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie on Thursday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
After seeing his three-fight winning streak snapped at the hands of Drew Dober in January, Haqparast (12-3 MMA, 4-2 UFC) rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Alexander Munoz at UFC on ESPN+ 32 in August.
Tsarukyan (15-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) has been matched up with high-level grapplers in his first three UFC bouts, dropping a unanimous decision to Islam Makhachev in his promotional debut, followed by up back-to-back wins over Olivier Aubin-Mercier and Davi Ramos.
With the addition, the current Jan. 23 lineup includes:
- Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
- Joanne Calderwood vs. Jessica Eye
- Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Brad Tavares
- Amanda Ribas vs. Michelle Waterson
- Nasrat Haqparast vs. Arman Tsarukyan