Chris Weidman returns to middleweight, meets Omari Akhmedov on Aug. 8 UFC card

Former UFC middleweight champ Chris Weidman will return to the division where he once held gold for a matchup with Omari Akhmedov.

Weidman (14-5 MMA, 10-5 UFC) will fight Akhmedov (20-4-1 MMA, 8-3-1 UFC) on the UFC’s upcoming Aug. 8 card, which does not have an official location but is expected to take place in Las Vegas. MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with a person close to the situation following an initial report from TASS.

The fight represents a noted step down in competition for Weidman, who has lost five of his past six and is coming off an unsuccessful attempt to move up to light heavyweight. He got a big opportunity to make a leap in the new weight class, but was quickly thwarted in the form of a first-round knockout loss against Dominick Reyes at UFC on ESPN 6 in October in Boston.

Akhmedov, meanwhile, get the chance to change the trajectory of his career after putting together a strong run to get a name like Weidman. The Russian fighter is unbeaten in his past six trips to the octagon, and has earned wins over notables such as Ian Heinisch, Tim Boetsch and Abdul Razak Alhassan.

The latest lineup for the UFC’s Aug. 8 event includes:

• Derrick Lewis vs. Aleksei Oleinik
• Omari Akhmedov vs. Chris Weidman