UFC’s return to Edmonton has a new main event, as former flyweight champion Brandon Moreno returns to action against Amir Albazi in a five-round matchup on Nov. 2 from Rogers Place.
UFC CEO Dana White announced the fight Tuesday on social media, with the previously announced headliner between Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield shifting to the co-main event. Namajunas vs. Blanchfield is expected to remain a five-round bout.
The fight serves as Moreno’s return to action after suffering back-to-back split decision losses to Alexandre Pantoja and Brandon Royval, then announcing plans to take a hiatus from the sport. Moreno ultimately opted to take some down time before booking his return, which is now set for November.
Meanwhile, Albazi competes for the first time since beating Kai Kara-France with a razor-close decision in June 2023 to put himself in title contention. Albazi was actually scheduled to face Moreno back in February, but a neck injury forced him to the sidelines to recover.
Now that he’s healthy again, Albazi resumes his career against Moreno with hopes that a win could vault him into a title shot against Pantoja in the future.
The UFC Edmonton card also features a pair of heavyweight fights, as knockout king Derrick Lewis takes on Jhonata Diniz and Alexandr Romanov clashes with Rodrigo Nascimento.
Here’s the full card as it currently stands, with a bout order still to be determined:
MAIN EVENT: Brandon Moreno vs. Amir Albazi
Rose Namajunas vs. Erin Blanchfield
Derrick Lewis vs. Jhonata Diniz
Aiemann Zahabi vs. Pedro Munhoz
Caio Machado vs. Brendson Ribeiro
Alexandr Romanov vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
Chad Anheliger vs. Cody Gibson
Serhiy Sidey vs. Garrett Armfield
Marc-Andre Barriault vs. Dustin Stoltzfus
Ariane Da Silva vs. Jasmine Jasudavicius
