A pivotal bantamweight showdown between Jimmie Rivera and Marlon Moraes will headline the UFC’s Fight Night event in Utica, N.Y., on June 1.
The promotion confirmed the pairing on Wednesday. UFC Fight Night takes place at the Adirondack Bank Center and will be televised on Fox Sports 1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
Rivera enters the matchup on a 20-fight winning streak that includes five triumphs in the Octagon. The Team Tiger Schulmann representative competed just once in 2017, taking a three-round verdict over Thomas Almeida at UFC on Fox 25. A proposed clash with ex-champion Dominick Cruz at UFC 219 fell through when Cruz was forced to withdraw due to injury.
Moraes, the former World Series of Fighting bantamweight champ, debuted in the promotion with a split-decision loss to Raphael Assuncao. He has since rebounded to take a split verdict over John Dodson at UFC Fight Night 120 before knocking out Aljamain Sterling with a knee in the first round at UFC Fight Night 123.