Ikram Aliskerov will get a big jump at middleweight.
Aliskerov (14-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has been booked against former title challenger Paulo Costa (14-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) at UFC 291 on July 29 from Vivint Arena in Salt Lake City, promotion president Dana White announced Tuesday.
In just his second UFC fight, Aliskerov is drawing a top-ranked contender. The Combat Sambo world champion is fresh off a first-round knockout of Phil Hawes less than two weeks ago at UFC 288. Aliskerov’s lone career loss came to Khamzat Chimaev by knockout in 2019. Since then, Aliskerov has won six consecutive fights, with five by finish.
Costa’s most recent octagon appearance came at UFC 278 in August, when he defeated former champion Luke Rockhold in a Fight of the Night battle. The bout was the final one on his UFC contract. The promotion then announced a fight between Costa and Robert Whittaker for UFC 284 in February, but Costa said he never agreed to the fight.
“Borrachina” was vocal about his discontent with his pay, stating he’s been getting paid the same ever since his UFC debut in 2017.
The current UFC 291 lineup includes:
- Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier – for BMF title
- Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
- Paulo Costa vs. Ikram Aliskerov
- Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
- Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
- Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
- Michel Pereira vs. Stephen Thompson
- Vinicius Salvador vs. CJ Vergara
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 291.
