Two UFC sophomore studs will collide in Saudi Arabia.
Former UAE Warriors champion Pavel Andrusca and "The Ultimate Fighter 34" runner-up MuhammadAli Osmanli will collide in a bantamweight bout Dec. 5 at UFC Fight Night 295 in Riyadh.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Thursday but asked to remain anonymous, as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Azerbaijan's Andrusca (9-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made an impressive promotional debut up a weight class in September when he defeated Nathaniel Wood by unanimous decision. The victory came less than two months after the Moldovan defeated 13-2 opponent Gexipengchu in a little over two minutes.
Osmanli (12-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) has a lot of hype even after a loss,
as his "TUF 34" final ended after he landed an illegal knee on opponent Ilimbek Akylbek less than halfway through Round 1. Akylbek was unable to continue due to the strike and was then declared the winner. Ten of Osmanli's 12 pro victories are finishes.
The updated UFC Saudi Arabia fight card includes:
- Jafel Filho vs. Bruno Silva
- Matthieu Duclos vs. Modestino Rodrigues
- Abdul Hussein vs. Hecher Sosa
- Levan Chokheli vs. Islam Dulatov
- Ivan Gnizditskiy vs. Uran Satybaldiev
- Abdul Hussein vs. Hecher Sosa
- Levan Chokheli vs. Islam Dulatov
- Ion Cutelaba vs. Magomed Tuchalov
- Jun Yong Park vs. Marco Tulio
- Pavel Andrusca vs. MuhammadAli Osmanli
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: UFC books bantamweight hot prospect showdown in Saudi Arabia
