Finally, [autotag]Chris Weidman[/autotag] will make his long-awaited return to the UFC.
The former UFC middleweight champion has been booked to take on veteran [autotag]Brad Tavares[/autotag] at UFC 292 on Aug. 19 at the TD Garden in Boston. The news was confirmed by MMA Junkie through sources, following an initial report by Newsday on Monday.
This pay-per-view event is headlined by two title fights: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley for the UFC bantamweight title in the main event, and Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos for the UFC women’s strawweight title in the co-main.
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Weidman (15-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) hasn’t competed since a nasty leg break back in April 2021 in a TKO loss to Uriah Hall. The 38-year-old has been recovering since, and he recently competed in a grappling match at Polaris 23 in March, losing by unanimous decision. Weidman is 2-5 since losing the UFC 185-pound title to Luke Rockhold in 2015.
Tavares (19-8 MMA, 14-8 UFC) is coming off a TKO loss to Brazil’s Bruno Silva this past April at UFC Fight Night 222. He’s currently on a two-fight losing streak and 2-4 in his past six trips to the octagon.
With the addition, the current UFC 292 lineup includes:
- Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley – for bantamweight title
- Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos – for women’s strawweight title
- Brad Tavares vs. Chris Weidman
- Mario Bautista vs. Cody Garbrandt
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Andre Petroski
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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
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