Manny Bermudez is moving up to featherweight to take on Charles Rosa at UFC Boston next month.
Following an initial report by MMA Junkie, Bermudez confirmed the breaking fight news, and change in weight class. In a statement posted via his official Instagram account, Bermudez, historically a bantamweight, wrote:
“Hope to catch all my friends down at the TD Garden in Boston October 18th! Wouldn’t be a comeback if we took someone easy so I’ll be fighting another tough opponent, 11-3 New England dude Charles Rosa (at featherweight stop asking🍔). Going to feel really good getting this one back, especially in my hometown!!”
Bermudez (14-1) recently had his undefeated streak brought to a screeching halt when he fell to Casey Kenney at UFC 241 in August. While a single loss might not normally be cause to jump up a weight class, Bermudez struggled to make weight for the fight. A Boston native, Bermudez was one of 13 fighters to exceed the CSAC’s 10% guideline at UFC 241, meaning the fighter gained more than 10% of his body weight back between weigh-in and fight night.
In fact, Bermudez gained a whopping 17.7% back by fight night at UFC 241. That led to a recommendation that he move up in weight.
He’ll do so against Charles Rosa (11-3), who has been trading wins and losses throughout his UFC tenure. Rosa has been out a while, however, not having competed since a 2017 loss to Shane Burgos at UFC 210.
Rosa was scheduled to return at UFC 220 in 2018, but was forced from the card due to a neck injury.
UFC Boston (UFC on ESPN 6) takes place on Friday, October 18, 2019 at the TD Garden in Boston, MA. Chris Weidman vs. Dominick Reyes serves as the main event for the show. Coincidentally, Weidman is also jumping up a division, making his light heavyweight debut on the night.
