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 announced location, venue or broadcast plans.
MMA Junkie verified the matchup with a person close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN. The person requested anonymity because 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 Chandler.
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