Former title challenger Volkan Oezdemir will square off against ex-champion Mauricio Rua at UFC Fight Night 129.
Promotion officials announced the light heavyweight booking on Wednesday. UFC Fight Night 129 takes place at Movistar Arena in Chile on May 19 and will air on Fox Sports 1 following early prelims on UFC Fight Pass. The card does not yet have a headliner, but Santiago Ponzinibbio is rumored to be one-half of the main event.
Oezdemir burst upon the scene in 2017 with victories over Ovince St. Preux, Misha Cirkunov and Jimi Manuwa — the latter two via first-round knockout. That earned the Swiss fighter a shot at reigning light heavyweight king Daniel Cormier, but “No Time” fell to “DC” via second-round TKO at UFC 220 on Jan. 20. Oezdemir owns a 15-2 career mark that includes 11 wins by KO or TKO.
Rua, meanwhile, hasn’t competed frequently of late but has won three straight bouts over the past three years. “Shogun” last appeared at UFC Fight Night 106, where he earned a third-round TKO over Gian Villante on March 11, 2017. The 36-year-old Brazilian has also bested Corey Anderson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira during his current streak.