[autotag]Julian Marquez[/autotag] is back.
Marquez (7-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will face [autotag]Saparbeg Safarov[/autotag] at the UFC’s Aug. 29 event in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the situation informed MMA Junkie of the booking Monday, but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
A graduate of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” Marquez returns to the octagon after enduring a two-year injury layoff. After picking up a second-round submission win over Darren Stewart on his UFC debut, Marquez suffered a fully torn latissimus dorsi during his split-decision loss to Alessio Di Chirico at the TUF 27 Finale in July, 2018. The injury resulted in Marquez undergoing two separate surgeries that forced him out of action for an extended period.
Now Marquez is ready to return to action, and will face Russia’s Safarov (9-3 MMA, 1-3 UFC) , who has one lone win in his four octagon appearances – a unanimous decision win over Nicolae Negumereanu in March 2019. In his most recent outing at UFC 248 in March, Safarov was submitted in the first round by Rodolfo Vieira.
With the addition, the current Aug. 29 lineup includes:
- Aleksandar Rakic vs. Anthony Smith
- Christian Aguilera vs. Sean Brady
- Zak Cummings vs. Alessio Di Chirico
- Ryan Hall vs. Ricardo Lamas
- Polyana Viana vs. Emily Whitmire
- Julian Marquez vs. Saparbeg Safarov