UFC lightweight contender Islam Makhachev is set to return to the Octagon at a summer Fight Night card when he takes on Thiago Moises.
ESPN’s Brett Okamoto was the first to break the news of the Makhachev vs. Moises fight. It will take place on the July 17 UFC Fight Night card and will be a three-round fight. The card currently does not have the main event lined up for it, but other fights on this card include Aspen Ladd vs. Macy Chiasson, Miranda Maverick vs. Maycee Barber, and Raphael Assuncao vs. Kyler Phillips. Expect the UFC to announce the main event for the card soon.
Makhachev (19-1) is the No. 10 ranked lightweight in the UFC. The 29-year-old Russian, who is a close friend of former UFC lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov, has a 7-1 record in the Octagon and most recently bested Drew Dober by submission at UFC 259. He has been someone who many analysts of the sport have suggested could be a UFC champion for quite some time now, and with Nurmagomedov now retired, it’s possible that Makhachev makes a run for the belt now. Although he was hoping to get a top-10 ranked opponent, Makhachev will instead have to settle for a fight against the underrated Moises.
Moises (15-4) is an unranked lightweight at the moment but the 26-year-old Brazilian is close to cracking the top-15. After going just 1-2 in his first three UFC bouts, Moises has really turned things around as of late and he has won his last three fights in a row, including back-to-back-to-back wins over Michael Johnson, Bobby Green and Alexander Hernandez. A win over Makhachev and Moises will surely crack the division’s top-15.
