A pair of new fights have been added to the UFC’s debut trip to Norfolk, as lightweights Sage Northcutt vs. Michel Quinones and bantamweights Raphael Assuncao vs. Matthew Lopez have been scheduled to tangle on the Nov. 11 show. The UFC confirmed the bookings Tuesday following an initial report by ESPN.
The news marks a return the the lightweight division for Northcutt (8-2), a popular 21-year-old prospect who has yet to fight in 2017. Northcutt is undefeated in the UFC at 155 pounds, holding a trio of victories over Francisco Trevino, Cody Pfister, and Enrique Marin. The same cannot be said about his stabs at the welterweight division, however, as Northcutt carries a 0-2 Octagon record at 170 pounds which includes his most recent outing, a second-round submission loss at the hands of Mickey Gall last December.
He’ll now look to get back on track against Quinones (8-2), a 32-year-old veteran who moves up from the featherweight division following a loss to Jared Gordon via second-round TKO in his UFC debut this past summer. Prior to that setback, Quinones won five straight contests on the regional circuit, highlighted by four stoppages.
As for the bantamweights, both Assuncao (25-5) and Lopez (10-1) look to continue their recent momentum after picking up big wins over ranked foes at UFC 212. Assuncao, the No. 4 ranked UFC bantamweight, won a split decision over ex-WSOF champion Marlon Moraes at the event to push his record to 9-1 over his last 10 UFC fights. Likewise, Lopez, the No. 14 ranked UFC bantamweight, scored a first-round TKO finish over Johnny Eduardo to propel his name into contention at 135 pounds.
UFC Norfolk takes place at the Ted Constant Convocation Center in Norfolk, Virginia. A lightweight battle between Dustin Poirier and former UFC champion Anthony Pettis headlines the event, which will air live on FOX Sports 1.
An updated UFC Norfolk fight card can be read below.
- Dustin Poirier vs. Anthony Pettis
- Matt Brown vs. Diego Sanchez
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Junior Albini
- Marlon Moraes vs. John Dodson
- Angela Hill vs. Nina Ansaroff
- Sage Northcutt vs. Michel Quinones
- Raphael Assuncao vs. Matthew Lopez
- Joe Lauzon vs. Clay Guida
- Cezar Ferreira vs. Nate Marquardt
- Tatiana Suarez vs. Viviane Pereira
- Marcel Fortuna vs. Jake Collier
- Court McGee vs. Sean Strickland
- Karl Roberson vs. Darren Stewart
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