Another LFA champion has entered the ranks of the UFC.
LFA featherweight champion [autotag]Bruno Souza[/autotag] has signed with the promotion and will Saturday face [autotag]Melsik Baghdasaryan[/autotag] on Saturday at UFC 268 from Madison Square Garden in New York.
A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. MMA DNA was first to report the news.
Souza (10-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC) replaces Canada’s T.J. Laramie, who withdrew from the originally scheduled matchup vs. Baghdasaryan (12-4 MMA, 1-0 UFC) due to a MRSA infection.
Nicknamed “The Tiger,” Souza is a protege of former UFC light heavyweight champion “The Dragon” [autotag]Lyoto Machida[/autotag]. At LFA 114 in August, Souza clinched the LFA title at age 25 when he defeated Javier Garcia by unanimous decision. The victory extended his streak to nine, a stretch that includes wins over UFC fighter Kamuela Kirk and Bellator fighter Mike Hamel.
As for Baghdasaryan, the Dana White’s Contender Series standout won his promotional debut in July when he flattened Collin Anglin with a second-round head kick. With a kickboxing background, Baghdasaryan has won five of his six professional victories by knockout or TKO.
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With the addition, the UFC 268 lineup includes:
MAIN CARD (Pay-per-view, 10 p.m. ET)
- Champ Kamaru Usman vs. Colby Covington – for welterweight title
- Champ Rose Namajunas vs. Zhang Weili – for women’s strawweight title
- Michael Chandler vs. Justin Gaethje
- Shane Burgos vs. Billy Quarantillo
- Frankie Edgar vs. Marlon Vera
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPNews/ESPN+, 8 p.m. ET)
- Andreas Michailidis vs. Alex Pereira
- Bobby Green vs. Al Iaquinta
- Chris Curtis vs. Phil Hawes
- Nassourdine Imavov vs. Edmen Shahbazyan
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 6 p.m. ET)
- Ian Garry vs. Jordan Williams
- Chris Barnett vs. Gian Villante
- John Allan vs. Aleksa Camur
- Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Bruno Souza
- Ode Osbourne vs. CJ Vergara
[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqvpne7c1q486dvv player_id=01eqvpqbw4ymnv0rjh image=https://mmajunkie.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]
