Bryan Barberena returns from back surgery, fights Anthony Ivy at UFC event on Sept. 12

Bryan Barberena is back.

Returning from a surgical back procedure, Barberena (14-7 MMA, 5-5 UFC) will take on UFC sophomore Anthony Ivy at the promotion’s event on Sept. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Ivy (8-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) recently confirmed the booking on his Instagram page following an initial report from MMA DNA.

Barberena, 31, has not competed since June 2019. In September 2019, Barberena underwent back surgery to fix damage to his spine and nerves. He has lost back-to-back fights to Randy Brown and Vicente Luque entering the Ivy matchup.

“Not because I want to, but because I have to, (I’m taking time away from fighting,” Barberena told UFC commentator Brendan Fitzgerald in August 2019. “I’m going to be having back surgery in about two weeks. It’s just gotten to the point where I’m not able to function, and I’m in excruciating pain all the time.”

Ivy, 30, rode a five-fight winning streak entering his short-notice UFC debut against Christian Aguilera on June 13. Ivy lost the fight via strikes in 59 seconds.

With the addition, the Sept. 12 lineup includes:

• Thiago Santos vs. Glover Teixeira
• Andrea Lee vs. Roxanne Modafferi
• Tyson Nam vs. Matt Schnell
• Bruno Silva vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
• Frank Camacho vs. Brok Weaver
• Kyle Nelson vs. Billy Quarantillo
• Bryan Barberena vs. Anthony Ivy