Justin Gaethje will get a home game in his next UFC fight.
Gaethje’s previously-reported showdown against fellow lightweight contender Dustin Poirierwill take place April 14 at a UFC Fight Night show at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., the UFC announced late Friday.
In addition, the UFC announced that a scintillating welterweight contest between fan favoritesCarlos Condit and Matt Brown will also take place at the Glendale event.
Gaethje (18-1), a native of Safford, Ariz., is 1-1 over his two Octagon appearances. In his UFC debut, the former WSOF champion scored a thunderous TKO win over Michael Johnson in about that took top honors as 2017’s Fight of the Year. Gaethje then suffered his first career defeat, losing via second-round TKO to fellow The Ultimate Fighter 26 coach Eddie Alvarez last month at UFC 218.
Poirier (22-5, 1 NC), meanwhile, bounced back from his own recent no-contest against Alvarez by scoring a third-round TKO win over former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis in November.
As for Condit and Brown, news of the UFC Glendale booking means that fight fans will get at least one more chance to enjoy watching the two accomplished finishers, as both men have spoken openly about retirement in recent years.
Condit (30-11) returned from a 16-month layoff in December at UFC 219, where he fell short in a sluggish unanimous decision against Neil Magny.
Brown (21-16), on the other hand, snapped a three-fight losing streak in his last Octagon appearance, crushing Diego Sanchez with a hellacious first-round knockout at UFC Norfolk in November.
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