A middleweight bout between ranked fighters [autotag]Jared Cannonier[/autotag] and [autotag]Roman Dolidze[/autotag] is the latest addition to UFC’s December schedule.
Cannonier (17-6 MMA, 10-6 UFC) and Dolidze (12-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) are expected to meet at UFC Fight Night on Dec. 2, which does not have an announced date or location at this time. ESPN was first to report the booking, which MMA Junkie subsequently verified with two people close to the situation, who requested anonymity because the promotion hasn’t made an official announcement.
Cannonier, No. 6 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie middleweight rankings, will attempt to further build his case for a second title shot after going unused as a backup fighter for UFC 293, which saw Sean Strickland dethrone champion Israel Adesanya. Cannonier holds a win over Strickland and made a case for a rematch after the title change, but it didn’t materialize.
He’ll instead take on No. 11-ranked Dolidze, who will attempt to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Marvin Vettori at UFC 286 in March. The Georgian fighter had won four straight prior to the setback, including a finish of Jack Hermansson.
With the addition, here’s the updated UFC Fight Night lineup for Dec. 2:
- Jared Cannonier vs. Roman Dolidze
- Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Rob Font
- Julia Avila vs. Miesha Tate
- Azamat Murzakanov vs. Khalil Rountree
- Veronica Hardy vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth
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