On the heels of a fantastic performance, Raoni Barcelos will get right back in the cage to battle Merab Dvalishvili at a UFC Fight Night on Dec. 5, replacing Cody Stamann.
As the December cards steadily fill up, a key matchup in the bantamweight division has been added to the Dec. 5 UFC Fight Night card, Merab Dvalishvili vs. Raoni Barcelos. Barcelos will be replacing bantamweight contender Cody Stamann, who pulled out of the bout in late October.
Multiple sources confirmed the news after an agreement was made verbally on the Anik and Florian podcast. Coming off one the biggest win of his career, “The Machine” Dvalishvili looks to extend his five-fight win streak. Even though the Georgian athlete is ready to compete, his eyes were set on a much bigger fish.
Dvalishvili’s last outing showcased dominant wrestling. In fact, the Georgian just smashed his own record for most take downs recorded in a three round bout. Generally speaking, not too many fighters are calling for a scrap with Dvalishvili. “The Machine” is inching closer to a title shot.
Ultimately, the relentless wrestler will settle for a short-notice bout with Barcelos on Dec. 5. While the Brazilian doesn’t have huge name recognition, he is coming off an dominant performance over Khalid Taha just last week that opened many eyes. The victory improved his UFC record to 5-0 and his streak against UFC-caliber opponent grew to seven, considering he beat Dan Moret and Bobby Moffett just before signing with the promotion.
There are now 10 fights on the card which does not yet have a location announced. There is, however, a great middleweight bout between Darren Till and Jack Hermansson headlining the card. Other notable bouts on the card include prospects Nate Landwehr and Movsar Evloev crossing paths and Bethe Correia’s unexpected return to the cage to take on Wu Yanan.
