Finally, Chris Weidman will make his long-awaited return to the UFC.
The former UFC middleweight champion has been booked to take on veteran Brad Tavares at UFC 292 on Aug. 19 at the TD Garden in Boston. The news was confirmed by MMA Junkie through sources, following an initial report by Newsday on Monday.
This pay-per-view event is headlined by two title fights: Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley for the UFC bantamweight title in the main event, and Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos for the UFC women’s strawweight title in the co-main.
Weidman (15-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) hasn’t competed since a nasty leg break back in April 2021 in a TKO loss to Uriah Hall. The 38-year-old has been recovering since, and he recently competed in a grappling match at Polaris 23 in March, losing by unanimous decision. Weidman is 2-5 since losing the UFC 185-pound title to Luke Rockhold in 2015.
Tavares (19-8 MMA, 14-8 UFC) is coming off a TKO loss to Brazil’s Bruno Silva this past April at UFC Fight Night 222. He’s currently on a two-fight losing streak and 2-4 in his past six trips to the octagon.
With the addition, the current UFC 292 lineup includes:
- Aljamain Sterling vs. Sean O’Malley – for bantamweight title
- Zhang Weili vs. Amanda Lemos – for women’s strawweight title
- Brad Tavares vs. Chris Weidman
- Mario Bautista vs. Cody Garbrandt
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Andre Petroski
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 292.
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