Lightweights Grant Dawson and Damir Ismagulov are set to clash at the upcoming UFC event scheduled for July 1 at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.
Mulitple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Thursday. MMA Junkie initially reported the matchup.
Undefeated in the UFC with a 7-0-1 record overall, Dawson has looked every bit the part of a future title contender, especially since he made the move up to 155 pounds. After starting his UFC career as a featherweight, Dawson has been even more dominant in his new weight class, which includes back-to-back finishes over Jared Gordon and Mark Madsen.
Dawson looks to keep his undefeated run going when he returns in July to face Ismagulov, who briefly announced his retirement following his last fight before deciding to compete again.
Overall, Ismagulov has gone 5-1 in the UFC with his only loss coming against Arman Tsarukyan this past December.
Dawson vs. Ismagulov joins the UFC card on July 1, which will be headlined by a middleweight showdown between Sean Strickland and Abus Magomedov.
Mike Heck contributed to this report.