Omar Morales vs. Gabriel Benitez added to May 13 UFC event

A lightweight bout is the latest addition to the UFC’s May 13 card.

Omar Morales (9-0 MMA, 1-0) will take on Gabriel Benitez (21-7 MMA, 5-3 UFC) at the UFC’s rare Wednesday night event. MMA Junkie confirmed the matchup after an initial report from ESPN.

The UFC’s May 13 event takes place at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla. The card is expected to air on ESPN, with the preliminary card streamed on ESPN+.

Undefeated Morales punched his ticket to the UFC through “Dana White’s Contender Series” and made good in his promotional debut, defeating Dong Hyun Ma via unanimous decision last December. He was initially set to replace Islam Makhachev to face Alexander Hernandez on April 18, before the event was canceled, and the bout was subsequently scrapped.

Instead, Morales faces Benitez, who will move up to 155 pounds. Winner of two of his last three, Benitez is coming off a first-round stoppage loss to Sodiq Yusuff last August. He was set to return in March vs. Lerone Murphy in London, but the event was canceled due to the growing concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

The complete May 13 lineup includes:

Anthony Smith vs. Glover Teixeira
Ben Rothwell vs. Ovince Saint Preux
Drew Dober vs. Alexander Hernandez
Ray Borg vs. Ricky Simon
Karl Roberson vs. Marvin Vettori
Andrei Arlovski vs. Philipe Lins
Michael Johnson vs. Thiago Moises
Sijara Eubanks vs. Sarah Moras
Hunter Azure vs. Brian Kelleher
Chase Sherman vs. Ike Villanueva
Gabriel Benitez vs. Omar Morales