Marcos Rogerio says he has his next fight booked, and that it’s between “two titans.”
Rogerio (22-9-1 MMA, 11-7 UFC) on Friday posted on Instagram that he’s signed on to fight Kennedy Nzechukwu (12-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) in a heavyweight bout at UFC 308 (pay-per-view/ESPN/ESPN+), which takes place Oct. 26 at Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi.
A person with knowledge of the booking confirmed to MMA Junkie that Nzechukwu, who has been a light heavyweight for all but two bouts in his career, will move up to heavyweight for the fight. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the UFC has not formally announced the matchup.
“Get ready for an epic night at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi! On October 26th, two titans will meet in the Octagon! I’m ready to give my all and bring another victory! ✌🏾👊🏾🦍🇺🇸🇧🇷,” Rogerio posted.
In February, Rogerio found himself in a unique position. When Justin Tafa had to pull out of their fight midweek, Tafa’s brother Junior stepped up to take the fight on short notice. Rogerio dispatched him with a second-round TKO after a barrage of leg kicks.
That got the Brazilian back on the plus side after a 33-second knockout loss to Derrick Lewis at UFC 291 when Lewis opened with a jumping knee. Still, Rogerio has won five of his past seven bouts.
Nzechukwu will be looking to get back in the win column after back-to-back losses. A year ago, he was knocked out in 82 seconds by Dustin Jacoby and had a three-fight winning streak of finishes snapped. He tried to rebound in March, but dropped a split decision to former interim light heavyweight title challenger Ovince Saint Preux.
With the addition, the UFC 308 lineup now includes:
- Ciryl Gane vs. Alexander Volkov
- Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
- Dan Ige vs. Lerone Murphy
- Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Marcos Rogerio
