Makwan Amirkhani will look to string together a winning streak when he meets a surging contender.
Amirkhani (17-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) meets Jonathan Pearce (12-4 MMA, 3-1 UFC) on July 23 at UFC Fight Night from the O2 Arena in London. The event is expected to stream on ESPN+.
A person with knowledge of the matchup confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Iridium Sports Agency, which represents Pearce, was first to share the news.
With his back against the wall in his past outing, Amirkhani snapped a three-fight losing skid in March when he submitted Mike Grundy in just 57 seconds at UFC Fight Night 204. His 12th-career submission win earned him a Performance of the Night bonus.
Pearce has been on a role since dropping his promotional debut to Joe Lauzon in October 2019. The Dana White’s Contender Series graduate went on to score back-to-back finishes of Kai Kamaka and Omar Morales, followed by a unanimous decision win over Christian Rodriguez in February.
With the addition, the UFC London lineup includes:
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Tom Aspinall
- Jack Hermansson vs. Darren Till
- Charles Johnson vs. Muhammad Mokaev
- Alexander Gustafsson vs. Nikita Krylov
- Hannah Goldy vs. Molly McCann
- Paul Craig vs. Volkan Oezdemir
- Makwan Amirkhani vs. Jonathan Pearce
