Two contests have been added to the UFC 257 bill, as Shane
Burgos will meet Hakeem
Dawodu at featherweight, while Umar
Nurmagomedov will face Sergey
Morozov at bantamweight on Jan. 23.
Burgos announced his matchup with Dawodu on his Instagram story
following a report from
MMA Empire, and Morozov confirmed his fight against
Nurmagomedov in a post on his Instagram account. UFC 257 takes
place on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi and is headlined by a rematch
between Conor
McGregor and Dustin
Poirier.
Burgos had a three-fight winning streak halted at UFC on ESPN 11,
where he dropped a unanimous verdict against Josh Emmett
on June 20. The 29-year-old Team Tiger Schulmann product is 6-2
during his promotional tenure and 13-2 as a professional
overall.
Dawodu, meanwhile, has been victories in his last five UFC
appearances. Most recently, the Calgary, Alberta, Canada, resident
captured a split-decision triumph against Zubaira Tukhugovat UFC
253 on Sept. 26. Three of Dawodu’s five victories during his
current winning streak have come via split decision.
Nurmagomedov was scheduled to make his Octagon debut on three
separate occasions — including against Morozov at UFC 254 — in
2020, but each time the bout was scrapped for various reasons. The
Eagles MMA representative is 12-0 as a professional, with stints in
the Professional Fighters League and Fight Nights Global promotions
on his resume.
Morozov will enter his first promotional foray on a five-bout
winning streak. The 31-year-old M-1 Global champion is coming off a
title defense against Josh
Rettinghouse at M-1 Challenge 105 in October 2019. A native of
Kazakhstan, Morozov owns a 16-4 professional mark overall.