Two fighters in search of their first UFC victory will collide.
“The Ultimate Fighter 32” middleweight runner-up Robert Valentin will return at UFC Fight Night 264 as he takes on promotional sophomore Jackson McVey. The event takes place Nov. 8 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Valentin (10-6 MMA, 0-3 UFC) ripped through “TUF 32” exhibition fights with quick finishes of Giannis Bachar and Paddy McCorry. After he lost to Ryan Loder in the final, he dropped back-to-back fights against Torrez Finney and Ateba Gautier.
McVey (6-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) encountered his first pro loss in his UFC debut, one that he stepped into on days’ notice against seasoned veteran Brunno Ferreira. McVey was finished in under four minutes by armbar. McVey has never gone the distance and entered the UFC with six finishes in as many fights.
The UFC Fight Night 264 lineup includes:
- Gabriel Bonfim vs. Randy Brown
- Mayra Bueno Silva vs. Jacqueline Cavalcanti
- Denise Gomes vs. Tecia Pennington
- Raoni Barcelos vs. Ricky Simon
- Luana Santos vs. Darya Zheleznyakova
- Cristian Quinonez vs. Adrian Yanez
- Max Gimenis vs. Josh Hokit
- Ismael Bonfim vs. Chris Padilla
- Hyder Amil vs. Jamall Emmers
- Uros Medic vs. Muslim Salikhov
- Joseph Morales vs. Matt Schnell
- Christian Leroy Duncan vs. Marco Tulio
- Jackson McVey vs. Robert Valentin
