Jake Collier will kick off his new UFC contract with a banger of a matchup.
Collier (13-6 MMA, 5-5 UFC), who signed a new four-fight deal, takes on Justin Tafa (5-3 MMA, 2-2 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on April 30, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.
A person with knowledge of the booking recently confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Eurosport Nederland was first to report the news.
Heavyweight Jake Collier has signed a new four-fight deal with the #UFC, per his manager @HectorCastroESM. Collier is coming off a submission win over Chase Sherman in January. pic.twitter.com/UEt0HN3aEk
— Nolan King (@mma_kings) March 2, 2022
Collier has split his past four appearances since moving up to heavyweight. The 33-year-old is coming off arguably his most impressive performance to date, scoring a bonus-winning submission of Chase Sherman at UFC on ESPN 32 this past January.
Tafa was able to snap a two-fight losing skid with a head kick knockout of Harry Hunsucker at UFC Fight Night 199 this past December. Despite the highlight-reel finish, Tafa wasn’t eligible for a bonus after missing the heavyweight mark by one pound.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night lineup for April 30 includes:
- Cortney Casey vs. Antonina Shevchenko
- Gina Mazany vs. Shanna Young
- Francisco Figueiredo vs. Daniel da Silva
- Mike Breeden vs. Natan Levy
- Gabe Green vs. Yohan Lainesse
- Jessica Penne vs. Luana Pinheiro
- Rafael Alves vs. Jared Gordon
- Carlos Candelario vs. Tatsuro Taira
- Tristan Connelly vs. Darren Elkins
- Jake Collier vs. Justin Tafa
