Marlon Vera and Mario Bautista will nonetheless compete, however only a few weeks later.
The UFC introduced on Tuesday that the bantamweight bout between Vera and Bautista now takes place at UFC 316, which takes place June 7 on the Prudential Heart in Newark, N.J. The competition was initially set to happen at UFC Des Moines on Might 3. No phrase as to why the bout was moved.
UFC 316 is headlined by a championship rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley, whereas Kayla Harrison challenges Julianna Peña for the ladies’s 135-pound title within the co-main occasion.
“Chito” makes his first look of 2025 after going winless in 2024. Vera challenged for the bantamweight title in the primary occasion of UFC 299 this previous March and misplaced a lopsided resolution to O’Malley. The 32-year-old returned this previous August to face former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo and dropped a unanimous resolution at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Bautista enters one other huge battle on the heels of a formidable seven-fight win streak. In his most up-to-date bout, the MMA Lab standout picked up a controversial break up resolution win over two-time featherweight champ Jose Aldo at UFC 307 this previous October.
The promotion additionally formally introduced that Johnny Walker will sq. off in opposition to Azamat Murzakanov in a lightweight heavyweight contest.
