Luigi Vendramini vs. Fares Ziam added to UFC 263 on June 12

A battle between lightweight prospects Luigi Vendramini and Fares Ziam is the latest addition to UFC 263.

A battle between lightweight prospects is the latest addition to UFC 263.

[autotag]Luigi Vendramini[/autotag] (9-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will take on [autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag] (11-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC) on June 12 in an event that does not yet have an announced venue or location.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking on Friday but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Vendramini had an impressive showing in his UFC debut in September 2018, but was ultimately stopped by Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos. An ACL surgery forced him to the sidelines for more than two years until he finally made his return at UFC on ESPN 16 this past October. He made quick work of Jessin Ayari to earn a “Performance of the Night” bonus for his first-round knockout.

French-Algerian Ziam also has split his first two UFC appearances. After getting outgrappled by Don Madge in his promotional debut at UFC 242, the 23-year-old rebounded with a unanimous decision win over Jamie Mullarkey at UFC Fight Night 180 this past October.

With the addition, the UFC 263 lineup now includes:

  • Champ Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno – for flyweight title
  • Jake Collier vs. Carlos Felipe
  • Luigi Vendramini vs. Fares Ziam

Jamie Mullarkey vs. Fares Ziam joins UFC’s Oct. 17 lineup

A lightweight matchup between Jamie Mullarkey and Fares Ziam the latest addition to the UFC’s Oct. 17 lineup.

A lightweight fight between [autotag]Jamie Mullarkey[/autotag] and [autotag]Fares Ziam[/autotag] will go down next month in Abu Dhabi.

MMA Junkie verified with multiple people close to the situation that Mullarkey (9-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) and Ziam (6-3 MMA, 5-3 UFC) are set to fight on the UFC’s Oct. 17 event. The people requested anonymity because UFC officials have yet to make an announcement

DailyTelegraph.com.au first reported the booking.

Mullarkey dropped a thrilling bout to Brad Riddell in his promotional debut at UFC 243 last October, earning the evening’s “Fight of the Night” bonus. Prior to that, Mullarkey finished his past four opponents.

Ziam saw his five-fight winning streak snapped in his promotional debut last September, when he was outgrappled by Don Madge at UFC 242. The 23-year-old French-Algerian striker trains out of Bulgarian Top Team and will look to return to winning ways when he faces Mullarkey.

With the addition, the latest Oct. 17 lineup includes:

  • Brian Ortega vs. Chan Sung Jung
  • Jessica Andrade vs. Katlyn Chookagian
  • Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Ciryl Gane
  • Poliana Botelho vs. Gillian Robertson
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Jimmy Crute
  • Mateusz Gamrot vs. Magomed Mustafaev
  • Muslim Salikhov vs. Claudio Silva
  • Yong Jin Park vs. John Phillips
  • Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Maxim Grishin
  • Said Nurmagomedov vs. Mark Striegl
  • Mounir Lazzez vs. David Zawada
  • Jamie Mullarkey vs. Fares Ziam