A pair of Contender Series veterans have been added to next week’s UFC Denver, as Julian Erosa meets Devonte Smith at lightweight.
A late notice addition to the UFC Denver (UFC Fight Night 139) card sees a pair of Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series veterans face off. On Friday, Julian Erosa announced via social media that he was set to take on Devonte Smith at the event, taking place a week after UFC 230 in New York. UFC Denver serves as the promotion’s 25th Anniversary Show. The UFC later added the bout to the official fight card.
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Erosa (22-5) went 1-1 with the UFC in 2015-2016, only to be cut and head back to the regional scene. There, he’d go 6-2, losing against Cage Warriors standout Paddy Pimblett but winning enough to get another look on the Contender Series. He defeated Jamall Emmers with a second round head kick this past June on the show. It wasn’t enough to earn him a new UFC contract, but the promotion clearly kept him in mind.
Devonte Smith (8-1), meanwhile, won a UFC contract in week eight of the show’s second season back in August. That extended his winning streak to four, with four finishes.
UFC Denver takes place on November 10 at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado.
