Breaking: Jake Matthews vs Miguel Baeza set for UFC 291

UFC 291's already stacked card has just added another potential barn burner as welterweights Jake Matthews and Miguel Baeza are now set to go head-to-head.

The pay-per-view, on July 29, will be headlined by a rematch between Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier in a bout already being dubbed a Fight of the Year contender.

The co-main event is also generating hype as former middleweight champion Alex Pereira will make his 205lb debut against another former champ in Jan Blachowicz.

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Matthews is looking to bounce back after losing out via a unanimous decision to Matthew Semelsberger back in December. Prior to that, 'The Celtic Kid' had earned himself a deserved Performance of the Night bonus after knocking out André Fialho the previous June.

Baeza is also seeking redemption after suffering a torid time in the octagon as of late. After winning his first three UFC bouts with finishes, the 30-year-old has since lost his last three.

The pair's welterweight matchup looks to be the last addition to UFC 291. The full card now reads:

Justin Gaethje vs. Dustin Poirier
Jan Blachowicz vs. Alex Pereira
Paulo Costa vs. Ikram Aliskerov
Michael Chiesa vs. Kevin Holland
Tony Ferguson vs. Bobby Green
Derrick Lewis vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Michel Pereira vs. Stephen Thompson
Vinicius Salvador vs. CJ Vergara
Priscila Cachoeira vs. Joanne Wood
Miguel Baeza vs. Jake Matthews

Justin Gaethje praises Dustin Poirier ahead of their UFC 291 bout

Justin Gaethje and Dustin Poirier are set to the main event UFC 291 on July 29 at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City. The pair are not only trying to stake their claim for another run at the 155lb belt, they will also be facing off for the coveted BMF title.

The BMF contenders recently appeared on the DC & RC show where they discussed their upcoming clash aswell as their previous fight. 'Diamond' won the first match up via TKO back in 2018.

According to Poirier, the first fight earned his respect of Gaethje's talent:

"He's the kind of fighter I like to watch; he puts it all on the line every time, and those are the kind of fights that I want to be to be involved in. So that's why this fight is exciting to me. You know, I've ran into Justin a few times since we fought, and he's always been straight up, you know? The thing with Chandler was, I think he's fake. But Justin seems real to me."

Catch Poirier's and Gaethje's UFC 291 breakdown here (6:03):

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Will began his tenure at Sportskeeda as an MMA writer over 2 years ago and has penned over 1800 pieces so far, including 35+ exclusives, which have garnered close to 5 million views.

Will graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Media and Communications from Bournemouth University, where he was also a valued member of their communications team. His degree heavily focused on social media and writing, which eventually led him toward sports writing.

He turned into an MMA fan after witnessing Conor McGregor’s 13-second TKO win over Jose Aldo at UFC 194 in 2015. The Irishman sits at the top of his list of top-five MMA fighters of all time, which also includes world champions like Demetrious Johnson, Michael Bisping, Max Holloway, and Georges St-Pierre.

Will especially enjoys working on event days and feels his contribution to Sportskeeda’s UFC 300 coverage was one of the high points of his time with the organization. He ensures his articles are accurate by going through multiple sources, which also helps his writing be as informative as possible.

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Edited by Kanav Seth