UFC has signed a pair of welterweights who will debut against each other at the upcoming pay-per-view event in Sydney.
Thursday, Bellator veteran Keifer Crosbie announced on Instagram he signed a multi-fight deal with the UFC. Crosbie (10-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his debut on short notice at UFC 293. The pay-per-view event headlined by Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland for the middleweight title takes place Sept. 9 at Qudos Bank Arena in Sydney.
Sharing the cage with Crosbie will be fellow UFC newcomer Kevin Jousset (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), whose signing with the promotion was also recently announced. Two people with knowledge of the booking confirmed the matchup with MMA Junkie.
Crosbie, 33, fought on seven occasions under the Bellator banner, putting together a record of 4-3. The Irishman is currently on a two-fight first-round finishing streak, picking up victories under Centurion Fight Championship and Rise FC.
Jousset, 30, will enter the UFC on a three-fight winning streak. In his two previous outings, the French fighter captured the HEX Fight Series middleweight and welterweight titles to become the promotion’s first two-division champion.
With the addition, the current UFC 293 lineup includes:
- Israel Adesanya vs. Sean Strickland – for middleweight title
- Tai Tuivasa vs. Alexander Volkov
- Felipe dos Santos vs. Manel Kape
- Austen Lane vs. Justin Tafa
- Tyson Pedro vs. Anton Turkalj
- Da Woon Jung vs. Carlos Ulberg
- Jack Jenkins vs. Chepe Mariscal
- John Makdessi vs. Jamie Mullarkey
- Nasrat Haqparast vs. Landon Quinones
- Blood Diamond vs. Charlie Radtke
- Kiefer Crosbie vs. Kevin Jousset
- Gabriel Miranda vs. Shane Young
- Viviane Araujo vs. Casey O’Neill
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 293.
