A bundle of fights have been reported for the UFC’s December 19th card recently. Here are the new fights for the show, which is expected to happen at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Belal Muhammad vs. Dhiego Lima
With his booking against Sean Brady out of the picture, Belal Muhammad has been paired against Dhiego Lima for the show. The fight was first reported by Farah Hannoun of MMA Junkie.
Brady was first meant to fight Muhammad on the card, although plans changed after he withdrew.
Muhammad has won his last three in the cage. He last competed in June, taking a decision win over Lyman Good.
Lima has also won three-in-a-row. He will be returning after somewhat of a layoff in December, as his last fight dates back to October of 2019, when he defeated Luke Jumeau via split decision.
Misha Cirkunov vs. Ryan Spann
A light heavyweight battle between Misha Cirkunov and Ryan Spann has also been added to the card. MMA DNA was the first to report the story.
Spann lost his first UFC fight in his last outing, being stopped in the first round by Johnny Walker in September. Prior to the loss, Spann had four-straight wins in the UFC.
Cirkunov’s last fight saw him hand Jimmy Crute his first loss as a pro, catching him in the first round with a Peruvian necktie.
Sijara Eubanks vs. Pannie Kianzad
Bantamweights Sijara Eubanks and Pannie Kianzad will also face off on the card, per a report from MMA DNA.
Eubanks’ strong run in 2020 was stopped in September, losing a decision to Ketlen Vieira at UFC 253. Before then, Eubanks had decision wins against Julia Avila and Sarah Moras within the year.
Kianzad last fought in July, handing Bethe Correia a loss via decision.
Drako Rodriguez vs. Aiemann Zahabi
After a strong performance on “Dana White’s Contender Series,” Drako Rodriguez will make his UFC debut against Aiemann Zahabi.
Rodriguez performed on the show back in September, defeating Mana Martinez via traingle choke to earn his UFC contract.
Zahabi has had an unsuccessful run in the UFC thus far, having a negative record in the promotion of one win and two losses. His last fight was in May of 2019, losing a decision to Vince Morales.
Here’s the updated lineup for the December 12th “Fight Night” card which is currently headlined by Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev.
Bout 12: Leon Edwards (18-3) vs. Khamzat Chimaev (9-0) (Welterweight)
Bout 11: Deron Winn (6-2) vs. Antonio Braga Neto (9-3) (Middleweight)
Bout 10: Tafon Nchukwi (4-0) vs. Jamie Pickett (11-4) (Middleweight)
Bout 9: Marlon Moraes (23-7-1) vs. Rob Font (17-4) (Bantamweight)
Bout 8: Rick Glenn (21-6-1) vs. Carlton Minus (10-2) (Lightweight)
Bout 7: Matt Schnell (14-5) vs. Tyson Nam (20-11-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 6: Alexandre Pantoja (22-5) vs. Manel Kape (15-4) (Flyweight)
Bout 5: Stephen Thompson (15-4-1) vs. Geoff Neal (13-2) (Welterweight)
Bout 4: Belal Muhammad (17-3) vs. Dhiego Lima (15-7) (Welterweight)
Bout 3: Misha Cirkunov (15-5) vs. Ryan Spann (18-6) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 2: Pannie Kianzad (13-5) vs. Sijara Eubanks (6-5) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Drako Rodriguez (7-1) vs. Aiemann Zahabi (7-2) (Bantamweight)
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