A new UFC bantamweight champion will be crowned July 11.
UFC president Dana White announced Tuesday that the vacant 135-pound title fight between former featherweight champion Jose Aldo and Petr Yan is finalized for UFC 251, which will be the first event on “Fight Island,” which has been revealed as Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Former champ Henry Cejudo announced his retirement after stopping Dominick Cruz in the second round at UFC 249. He was eventually removed from the official rankings, with the UFC later announcing that his belt had been stripped.
Prior to the pandemic canceling all of the UFC’s upcoming international events, Aldo (28-6 MMA, 10-5 UFC) was scheduled to face Cejudo for the title on May 9 in Brazil. He is coming off back-to-back losses to featherweight champion Alexander Volkanovski and fellow bantamweight contender Marlon Moraes.
Yan (14-1 MMA, 6-0 UFC) was scheduled to headlined the UFC’s first event in Kazakhstan on June 13 against Moraes, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. He is yet to lose a UFC bout, with his last three wins coming over John Dodson, Jimmie Rivera, and most recently Urijah Faber.
With the addition, the current lineup includes:
- Alexander Volkanovski vs. Max Holloway – for the UFC featherweight title
- Jose Aldo vs. Petr Yan – for the UFC bantamweight title
- Amanda Ribas vs. Paige VanZant
- Frankie Edgar vs. Pedro Munhoz
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Ciryl Gane
- Volkan Oezdemir vs. Jiri Prochazka
Jose Aldo vs. Petr Yan bantamweight title fight set for UFC 251 on 'Fight Island'
