A quartet of UFC rumors and fight bookings over the last two days point to return fights for fan-favorite action fighters Bobby Green and Matt Brown, amongst others.
UFC rumors
Matt Brown vs Bryan Barberena
Social media account MMA Ideas reported on Thursday night that 11-year UFC veteran Matt Brown (23-18) would make his Octagon return in March against another fan-favorite scrapper in Bryan Barberena, at a planned Fight Night event in “Immortal’s” hometown of Columbus, Ohio. The matchup has not been officially announced by the promotion.
Brown fought twice in 2021. Splitting bouts against fellow promotion stalwart Carlos Condit and Dhiego Lima. His technical knockout win over Lima continued a streak of nine straight victories for the 40-year-old where he finished opponents within the distance. “Bam Bam” competed last month, beating Darian Weeks by unanimous decision. He is 3-3 in his last six Octagon appearances.
Bobby Green vs Nasrat Haqparast
Veteran combat sportswriter Walter Salcido broke the news that welterweight Nasrat Haqparast (13-4) has a replacement for former Feb. 19 opponent John Makdessi. That will be 41-fight veteran Bobby Green (28-12-1), and the pair will instead fight a week earlier at UFC 271 on Feb. 12. The bout is not yet official but has been agreed to by both sides.
UFC 271 takes place inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Tex.
Green ended a two-fight skid in Nov. at UFC 268 when he defeated Al Iaquinta by TKO inside Madison Square Garden. Haqparast will be looking to get back into the win column after Dan Hooker ended a two-fight win streak by unanimous decision in the duos matchup at UFC 266.
Tim Means vs Jeremiah Wells
On Thursday, MMAJunkie confirmed with multiple sources that 24-fight Octagon veteran Tim Means (32-12-1) will make his comeback to action early next month and battle UFC neophyte Jeremiah Wells (9-2-1).
Wells made his promotional debut in June, beating Warlley Alves with a second-round TKO. The 35-year-old is a former CFFC welterweight champion.
Means is riding high at the moment with a three-fight win streak. Having beaten Laureano Staropoli, Mike Perry, and Nicolas Dalby in his last three Octagon appearances. Despite a massive divide in fight experience, “Dirty Bird” is only older than his Feb. 5 opponent by two years.
Drakkar Klose vs Nikolas Motta
MMAFighting reported on Wednesday that lightweight Drakkar Klose (11-2-1) will return to the UFC on Apr. 16 to face Brazilian Nikolas Motta (12-3). The bout and venue are not yet official, but the card is expected to take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nev.
Klose has not fought since March of 2020. Three scheduled matchups in 2021 fell through, including his Apr. booking against Jeremy Stephens that was scrapped on the day of weigh-ins, after Klose incurred an injury from a “Lil Heathen” shove during a media face-off. The 33-year-old has won five of his seven appearances in the UFC.
The bout will be Motta’s promotional debut after earning a UFC contract on a Nov. 2020 episode of Dana White’s Contender Series. He was also a contestant on the season four edition of The UIlimate Fighter Brazil.
Which one of these four upcoming Octagon fights are you most looking forward to?
Join the discussion on this topic…