Islam Makhachev vs. Thiago Moises booked for UFC Fight Night on July 17
Islam Makhachev won’t get the highly ranked name he wanted for his next fight, and instead will get a streaking UFC lightweight in Thiago Moises.
Makhachev (19-1 MMA, 8-1 UFC) and Moises (15-4 MMA, 4-2 UFC) have agreed to meet at UFC Fight Night on July 17. The event does not have an announced location, venue or broadcast plans.
MMA Junkie verified the matchup with a person close to the booking following an initial report from ESPN. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Makhachev, No. 8 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie lightweight rankings, is riding a seven-fight winning streak at 155 pounds and is coming off a submission victory over Drew Dober at UFC 259 in March.
Rather than facing the top-ranked name he was asking for, though, Makhachev will clash with the unranked Moises, who has put together consecutive wins over Alexander Hernandez, Bobby Green and Michael Johnson.
The latest lineup for UFC Fight Night on July 17 now includes:
Marion Reneau vs. Miesha Tate
Amir Albazi vs. Ode Osbourne
Sergey Morozov vs. Khalid Taha
Guram Kutateladze vs. Don Madge
Cameron Else vs. Aaron Phillips
Herbert Burns vs. Billy Quarantillo
Francisco Figueredo vs. Malcolm Gordon
Anderson dos Santos vs. Miles Johns
Alan Baudot vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
Phil Hawes vs. Deron Winn
Islam Makhachev vs. Thiago Moises