A key UFC top 15 welterweight matchup is heading to Brazil.
Gilbert Burns will get his wish of fighting in Rio de Janeiro at UFC 283 on Jan. 21, as a matchup against Neil Magny is in the works. Sources with knowledge of the pairing confirmed to MMA Junkie that verbal agreements are in place. The news of the fight was first reported by ESPN.
UFC 283 takes place at the Jeunesse Arena in Rio de Janeiro, and currently features the fourth flyweight title bout between champion Deiveson Figueiredo and former champ Brandon Moreno.
Burns (20-5 MMA, 13-5 UFC) will return home to take on another top welterweight. Having traded wins and losses over his past four fights, the 36-year-old Brazilian will look to rebound from a loss to Khamzat Chimaev in one of the best fights of 2022. Burns got his hand raised against Stephen Thompson at UFC 264, defeating the fellow former title challenger by unanimous decision.
After a three-fight 2022 campaign, Magny (27-9 MMA, 20-8 UFC) will enter his first fight of the new year on the heels of a third-round submission victory over Daniel Rodriguez at UFC Fight Night 214 in November. The win was a nice bounce back from a submission loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov in June, which followed a split decision win over Max Griffin in March.
Burns currently holds the No. 7 spot in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie welterweight rankings, with Magny at No. 15.
With the addition, the current UFC 283 lineup includes:
- Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Brandon Moreno – for flyweight title
- Gilbert Burns vs. Neil Magny
- Jessica Andrade vs. Lauren Murphy
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Mounir Lazzez
- Zarah Fairn vs. Josiane Nunes
- Gregory Rodrigues vs. Brad Tavares
- Ihor Potieria vs. Mauricio Rua
- Paul Craig vs. Johnny Walker
- Ismael Bonfim vs. Terrance McKinney
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Jailton Almeida
- Guram Kutateladze vs. Thiago Moises
- Warlley Alves vs. Nicolas Dalby
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 283.