UFC newcomer Jamal Pogues has his debut assignment in the promotion set.
Pogues (9-3) will face Josh Parisian (15-5) in a heavyweight tilt at the UFC’s February 18, 2022 Fight Night event.
Iridium Sports Agency, Pogues’ management team, announced the news on Thursday.
With a pair of wins on Dana White’s Contender Series, Pogues finally cashed his ticket to the UFC last year. He first appeared on the show in 2019, picking up a decision victory — but not a contract. Two fights later, both of which came under the LFA banner and saw Pogues go 1-1, and he returned to DWCS, earning another decision win, this time over Paulo Renato Jr.
That was enough for Dana White to give him the nod.
Pogues now makes his octagon debut against veteran Josh Parisian, who like Pogues needed a couple of attempts to make the UFC roster. Parisian first fought on the Contender Series in 2018, winning with a spinning back fist KO which somehow wasn’t enough to get him signed on with the big show. He then appeared on The Ultimate Fighter 28, only to be eliminated early in the season.
Parisian then returned to the Contender Series in 2020, knocking out Chad Johnson to finally secure a UFC contract. He’s gone 2-2 since, with wins over Roque Martinez and Alan Baudot, and losses to Parker Porter and Don’Tale Mayes.
Scheduled to face Chase Sherman on November 5, 2022, Josh Parisian was forced out of the bout due to medical issues the day of the fight. At the time, the heavyweight was experiencing heart palpitations and other symptoms, but it appears he’d good to go.
The UFC’s February 18, 2023 Fight Night card is expected to go down at the Apex in Las Vegas. Headlined by a bantamweight fight featuring Marlon “Chito” Vera and Cory Sandhagen, the following match-ups have been reported for the event:
- Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen
- Nazim Sadykhov vs. Evan Elder
- A.J. Fletcher vs. Themba Gorimbo
- Juancamilo Ronderos vs. Clayton Carpenter
- Joe Solecki vs. Benoît Saint-Denis
- Gerald Meerschaert vs. Abusupiyan Magomedov
- Jim Miller vs. Gabriel Benítez
- William Knight vs. Marcin Prachnio
- Lina Länsberg vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
- Ovince Saint Preux vs. Philipe Lins
- Taila Santos vs. Erin Blanchfield
- Josh Parisian vs. Jamal Pogues
