A pivotal bantamweight clash between Marlon Moraes and Cory Sandhagen is expected to take place in the fall.
Brazilian outlet Combate was first to report the news that the fight is targeted for Oct. 10. Contracts are not signed but it is expected to serve as the main event.
Marlon Moraes has not fought since he beat Jose Aldo by split decision at UFC 245. It got him back into the win column after suffering a TKO loss to Henry Cejudo at UFC 238 for the vacant bantamweight title.
The Brazilian was expected to headline UFC Kazakhstan against Petr Yan in June. But, the event was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It also should be noted that Moraes did overcome coronavirus.
Cory Sandhagen, meanwhile, suffered his first loss inside the Octagon when he submitted by Aljamain Sterling in 88 seconds at UFC 250. Before that, he had notable wins over Raphael Assuncao and John Lineker, but this will be the first time he is headlining a UFC show and going five rounds.
This a crucial fight for the bantamweight division and with Moraes now being booked, perhaps the UFC will finally book Yan vs. Sterling. The winner of this fight could very well be the next title contender after Sterling.
