Another key middleweight bout is headlining a UFC event this summer.
On July 1, Sean Strickland (26-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) returns to action to take on Abus Magomedov (25-4-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The main card airs live on ESPN and ESPN+ beginning at 7 p.m. ET.
UFC president Dana White officially announced the matchup Thursday on Instagram Live.
Strickland, 32, returned to the win column in his last outing in January with an impressive win over Nassourdine Imavov. Strickland racked up six-straight wins over 2018-22 that included wins over Brendan Allen, Krzysztof Jotko, and Uriah Hall, before a pair of setbacks against former champion Alex Pereira and title challenger Jared Cannonier.
The bout will be Strickland’s fifth UFC main event slot over his past six appearances.
Meanwhile, Magomedov, 32, enters his first UFC main event in just his second fight with the promotion. His debut in September was a 19-second first-round finish of Dustin Stoltzfus, which extended his current winning streak to three.
There are currently no other confirmed bouts for the July 1 event in Las Vegas.
