November 5, 2024

James Vick vs. Paul Felder, Islam Makhachev vs. Francisco Trinaldo added to UFC 233

Esther Lin, MMA Fighting

A pair of intriguing lightweight matchups have been added to UFC 233.

James Vick will take on Paul Felder and Islam Makhachev meets Francisco Trinaldo on the Jan. 26 card at Honda Center in Anaheim, Calif. The UFC tweeted news of both fights out on Tuesday.

Vick (13-2) is looking to get back on track after losing to Justin Gaethje via knockout in his first UFC main event on Aug. 25. The loss snapped a four-fight winning streak. Felder (15-4), meanwhile, is coming off a loss at welterweight to Mike Perry in which he suffered a broken arm. Felder remains on a three-fight winning streak in lightweight bouts.

Makhachev (16-1) has quietly put together an impressive UFC run. His submission of Kajan Johnson in Calgary on July 28 was his fourth consecutive victory and lifted him to 5-1 in the UFC. The 40-year-old Trinaldo (23-6), meanwhile, is coming off a memorable TKO of Evan Dunham via knee to the body at UFC Sao Paulo, and is seeking his third win in four fights.

Makhachev, a teammate of Khabib Nurmagomedov, was involved in the post-fight brawl following the latter’s victory over Conor McGregor at UFC 229 in Las Vegas.

UFC 233 runs head-to-head in Southern California with Bellator’s heavyweight grand prix final, which will be held on the same night at the Forum in Inglewood.

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