Bryan Caraway to make Battlefield FC debut in July

MMAfighting.com

Longtime UFC bantamweight contender Bryan Caraway has a new home.

South Korean promotion Battlefield Fighting Championship announced that Caraway (21-9) will fight Raja Shippen (18-11-1) at Battlefield FC 2 on July 27 at Sheraton Grand Macau Hotel in Macau, China.

Also official for Battlefield FC 2 is a lightweight bout between UFC veterans Will Brooks (20-4-1) and Abel Trujillo (15-8, 1 NC). The Body Lock was first to report this matchup.

Caraway, 34, last fought at The Ultimate Fighter 28 Finale last November, where he lost to Pedro Munhoz by first-round TKO. In recent years, Caraway been plagued by injury and he ended his Octagon tenure with back-to-back losses and three setbacks in his last four outings. He’ll face Shippen, who has won four straight including his Battlefield FC debut against Jung Hyun Ahn at Battlefield FC’s inaugural event two years ago.

The promotion faced heavy scrutiny after failing to pay several fighters who competed at Battlefield FC 1. Officials eventually compensated the fighters one week later.

Brooks parted ways with the UFC in early 2018 and spent that year competing for the Professional Fighters League. The former Bellator lightweight champion won both of his regular season fights before failing to advance past the opening round of the PFL playoff tournament. He was on the wrong end of a tiebreaker after fighting Rashid Magomedov to a draw.

Trujillo lost his last two UFC fights and has been on the shelf since December 2017. He went 6-3 (1 NC) in the UFC.