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The UFC has confirmed that a lightweight bout between Donald Cerrone and Justin Gaethje will be the main event when action returns to Vancouver in September.
Cerrone (36-12, 1 NC) is coming off the back of a gruelling loss to Tony Ferguson which snapped a three-fight winning streak. The seasoned veteran previously dispatched upstart Alexander Hernandez before dominating Al Iaquinta over five rounds in May. 'Cowboy' seems determined to get back into title contention despite the recent setback.
Cerrone's willingness to take any opportunity to fight in the Octagon has certainly earned him a strong relationship with fans and the UFC brass. This will be the fourth time the 36-year-old will compete in 2019.
Gaethje (20-2), on the other hand, will look to make it three wins in a row. The former World Series of Fighting (now Professional Fighters League) champion has scored successive first-round knockouts over James Vick and Edson Barboza, bouncing back after dropping two fights, to interim champion Dustin Poirier and former titleholder Eddie Alvarez.
This lightweight clash between two of the most entertaining fighters on the UFC roster promises to be a blockbuster and could potentially challenge Israel Adesanya vs Kelvin Gastelum for Fight of the Year honours. Gaethje has earned Fight of the Night honors four times in just five UFC fights, and Cerrone leads the pack with 18 Fight of the Night bonuses.
Cerrone teased the bout on Instagram amid heavy fan speculation online before Dana White confirmed the news to Yahoo Sports earlier this week.
"Get ready, Vancouver!" White said. "This fight is going to be ridiculous!"
With reigning champion Khabib Nurmagomedov scheduled to defend his title against Poirier the week before, the stacked lightweight division is arguably the hottest to watch at the moment.
UFC Fight Night 158 (aka UFC on ESPN+ 16) will take place inside the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on September 14.
