There are only four men who have faced both Israel Adesanya and Alex Pereira in kickboxing, and one of them may be following suit to the UFC pretty soon, as Yousri Belgaroui is set to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series this summer.
Belgaroui (5-2) takes on Charles Oliveira’s teammate Marco Tulio Silva (9-1) on Aug. 29 at the UFC Apex with a potential contract on the line. Belgaroui is 6’5″ and has competed at light heavyweight thus far in his MMA career, but this matchup is at middleweight.
Two people with knowledge of the addition recently informed MMA Junkie of it but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Dutch Fight Network first reported the news Thursday.
Belgaroui, 31, competed as a pro kickboxer from 2015 to 2021 before he transitioned fully into MMA. He challenged for the Glory middleweight title three times but was unsuccessful in capturing it.
During his kickboxing tenure, Belgaroui fought Adesanya and Pereira twice each. He lost two decisions to Adesanya (one unanimous and one split) and was defeated by Pereira twice by TKO (one due to a cut and the other by knockout). All four bouts were for Glory Kickboxing.
In 2022, Belgaroui joined forces with his old opponent Pereira, who was gearing up to face Adesanya at UFC 281. Belgaroui made Teixeira MMA & Fitness in Danbury, Conn., his new training home and has been there ever since.
Pereira expressed his excitement in Belgaroui’s participation on social media Wednesday.
There’s a guy arriving who will bring some fire in the middle weight division 🔥 #contenderseries #ufc pic.twitter.com/5WiF3w37TA
— Alex "Poatan" Pereira (@AlexPereiraUFC) July 13, 2023
As for his MMA career, Belgaroui encountered ups and downs across his seven fights to date for UAE Warriors (Middle East) and Levels Fight League (Netherlands). Since a 3-2 start, Belgaroui has won back-to-back fights. Four of his five victories have come by knockout and his two defeats have been decisions.
Silva, 28, has finished seven of his nine pro MMA fights inside the distance. He rides a five-fight winning streak into his potential UFC contract-earning opportunity. Silva was originally scheduled to face Val Woodburn, who withdrew from the bout when he was offered a fight vs. Bo Nickal at UFC 290.
Check out the up-to-date Dana White’s Contender Series lineup and schedule here.
