A middleweight showdown between Bruno Silva and Albert Duraev is on for a UFC Fight Night card on Dec. 17 in Las Vegas, multiple people with knowledge of the situation told MMA Fighting on Thursday.
The promotion has yet to announce the event’s headliner. The UFC APEX is expected to host the event.
Silva (22-8), a former M-1 middleweight champion, gets his chance to snap a two-fight skid when he enters the cage for the third time in 2022. The Brazilian slugger won his first three UFC bouts by knockout before losing to 185-pound contender Alex Pereira and Gerald Meerschaert.
Duraev (15-4) held the ACB middleweight title before joining the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series in 2021. “Machete” won a decision over Roman Kopylov in his first UFC appearance but came up short this past June against Joaquin Buckley, ending his 10-fight winning streak.
Damon Martin contributed to this report.