Bryce Mitchell has a new opponent for UFC 288.
As previously reported, Jonathan Pearce had been forced out of a high-profile bout with “Thug Nasty” at UFC 288 next month. Now, stepping up for Pearce will be former M-1 champ Movsar Evloev.
Promotion officials announced the switch during Saturday’s UFC Kansas City broadcast.
Evloev is a perfect 16-0 to start his mixed martial arts career, and captured the M-1 bantamweight champion before returning to 145lbs upon signing with the UFC. Since his octagon debut in 2019 he was won six bouts under the UFC banner, most recently capturing a decision against Hawaii’s Dan Ige.
Mitchell (15-1) had also started his career undefeated, until running into Ilia Topuria this past December.
Mitchell was originally expected to fight Evloev last November, only for Evloev to withdraw. And so, despite the short-notice nature of the fight, the pair have trained extensively to face each other in the past.
UFC 288 will take place in Newark, New Jersey at the Prudential Center on May 6, 2023. A bantamweight title fight between Aljamain Sterling and Henry Cejudo headlines, with the following match-ups reported for the card thus far:
- Aljamain Sterling (c) vs. Henry Cejudo — for the UFC bantamweight championship
- Jéssica Andrade vs. Yan Xiaonan
- Kron Gracie vs. Charles Jourdain
- Drew Dober vs. Matt Frevola
- Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Devin Clark
- Khaos Williams vs. Rolando Bedoya
- Marina Rodriguez vs. Virna Jandiroba
- Phil Hawes vs. Ikram Aliskerov
- Rafael Estevam vs. Zhalgas Zhumagulov
- Joseph Holmes vs. Claudio Ribiero
- Daniel Santos vs. Johnny Muñoz Jr.
- Parker Porter vs. Braxton Smith
- Bryce Mitchell vs. Movsar Evloev
