Former UFC lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos will face Tarec Saffiedine in his debut fight in the UFC’s 170-pound fold, it was announced on Monday by the promotion.
Dos Anjos moved to the welterweight division after suffering two successive losses at 155-pounds, first losing his title to Eddie Alvarez and then the Brazilian dropped a five round decision to Tony Ferguson last November. Following the loss to ‘El Cucuy’, Dos Anjos announced in February that he would be moving to welterweight and cited the constant weight cuts to 155-pounds as hindering his performances.
His opponent, former Strikeforce welterweight champion Tarec Saffiedine, picked up a $50,000 ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus for his last bout in Singapore, a decision over Hyun Gyu Lim in the promotion’s visit to the region.
Much like RDA, Saffiedine has also come up short in his last two bouts, losing to both Rick Story and Dong Hyun Kim, and both fighters will be keen to come away with a win to avoid the career uncertainty that often comes with losing three in a row in the UFC.
In addition to this bout, the UFC had previously confirmed that Andrei Arlovski will face Marcin Tybura at the event. It was also announced that Japanese legend Takanori Gomi will square off with Guam’s Jon Tuck.
UFC Singapore takes place on June 17th at the Indoor Stadium and a headline bout is expected to be announced in the coming days.
