“The Ultimate Fighter 28” winner
Juan Francisco Espino Dieppa will return to action for the
first time since winning the reality show when he faces Jeff Hughes
at UFC
253.
Espino confirmed the heavyweight pairing on social media Tuesday.
UFC 253 takes place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by
a middleweight championship tilt between Israel
Adesanya and Paulo
Henrique Costa.
Espino last appeared at the “TUF 28” finale, where he submitted
Justin
Frazier in the opening stanza. The 39-year-old Spainard is 9-1
as a professional, with his only setback coming against former
Bellator champ Vitaly
Minakov in April 2011.
After earning a contract on Season 2 of Dana White’s Contender
Series, Hughes is still looking for his first UFC triumph. The
Strong Style Fight Team has lost decisions to Raphael
Pessoa and Maurice
Greene while a showdown with Todd Duffee
ended in a no contest due to an accidental eye poke. “Lights Out”
is 10-3 as a professional overall.