Three new matchups have recently been reported for UFC’s September 4th event. The bouts join a card that is currently being targeted to take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Flyweights Perez and Schnell Matched
A flyweight bout between Alex Perez and Matt Schnell has been moved to this card, per MMA DNA.
The bout was originally set to happen in late August but was booted ahead for undisclosed reasons.
Perez will be making his first appearance since losing a title fight to Deiveson Figueiredo in November of last year. The dominant fight saw Figueiredo secure a submission in the second minute, ending a three-fight win streak that Perez had developed.
Schnell is also coming off a loss, having been defeated by Rogerio Bontorin in May. The fight came just four months after he kicked off the year with a win against Tyson Nam.
Pavlovich Returns Against Aspinall
Heavyweight Sergei Pavlovich will make his first appearance in nearly two years when facing Tom Aspinall in September. The matchup was announced by the UFC on Wednesday.
Aspinall is coming off a hot rookie year in the UFC that saw him score three stoppage wins. After finishing his first two opponents within a round with strikes, he submitted veteran Andrei Arlovski in February with a second-round rear naked choke.
Pavlovich will be competing for the first time since October 2020. He has scored a first-round stoppage in his two previous bouts and has a promotional record of two wins and one loss.
Rojo Looks For First UFC Win Against Martinez
Former Combate Global fighter Marcelo Rojo will look to score his first UFC win when facing Jonathan Martinez in early September, per Carlos Contreras Legaspi of ESPN Deportes.
Rojo lost his UFC debut earlier this year, getting stopped in the final minute of a bout against featherweight vet Charles Jourdain.
Martinez had a two-fight win streak broken in his last appearance, as Davey Grant finished him in the second round with strikes.
This matchup was made after previous bookings for the featherweights fell through. Rojo was initially set to meet Kevin Croom in August, and Martinez was scheduled to fight Nathaniel Wood on this card.
Updated Lineup
Middleweights Derek Brunson and Darren Till are currently expected to headline the card. Here is how the lineup looks currently:
Bout 8: Derek Brunson (22-7) vs. Darren Till (18-3-1) (Middleweight)
Bout 7: Khalil Rountree (8-5) vs. Modestas Bukauskas (11-4) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 6: Paul Craig (15-4-1) vs. Alexander Gustafsson (18-7) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 5: Luigi Vendramini (9-2) vs. Paddy Pimblett (16-3) (Lightweight)
Bout 4: Ariane Lipski (13-7) vs. Mandy Bohm (7-0) (Flyweight)
Bout 3: Alex Perez (24-6) vs. Matt Schnell (15-6) (Flyweight)
Bout 2: Jonathan Martinez (13-4) vs. Marcelo Rojo (16-7) (Bantamweight)
Bout 1: Tom Aspinall (10-2) vs. Sergei Pavlovich (14-1) (Heavyweight)
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