Highly touted flyweights Amir Albazi and Tatsuro Taira will be the main event for UFC Fight Night on Aug. 2 at UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Albazi, a 31-year-old Iraq native with a 17-2 MMA record, ranks No. 3 on UFC’s official list of flyweight contenders. He returns to the Octagon for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Brandon Moreno on Nov. 2.
Taira, a 25-year-old native of Okinawa, Japan, carries a 16-1 MMA record into this bout. He stands fifth on the official contenders list, but he, too, has something to prove after losing a split decision to Brandon Royval on Oct. 12 in a battle of unbeatens.
Six more fights are scheduled for the main card, which begins at 9 p.m. ET. The next-most intriguing fight pits No. 10-ranked bantamweight Karol Rosa against No. 12 Nora Cornolle.
Brazil native Rosa (18-7) last appeared in the Octagon as part of the UFC 311 card on Jan. 18, when Ailin Perez handled her in a unanimous decision.
Cornolle (9-2) has a history of winning early and violently. The France native submitted Hailey Cowan at 1:52 of the second round in her most recent fight on April 12. All but one of her wins have been by knockout or submission.
There are two undefeated fighters on the card. Brazil’s Andre Lima (11-0) takes on countryman Felipes Bunes (14-7) in flyweight action while American middleweight Torrez Finney (11-0) battles Russia’s Azamat Bekoev (10-2).
–Field Level Media
