As announced earlier today, Brian Kelleher will make his return to the octagon and will be welcomed by the well-rounded Journey Newson as the bantamweights prepare to collide on April 29.
'Boom' is desperately searching for a win after failing to get his hand raised in each of his previous two octagon outings, losing to both Umar Nurmagomedov and Mario Bautista. Despite falling on hard times in the sport, the 36-year-old knows he can rely on his finishing ability to get the job done on any given night.
In a post on social media, it was announced that Brian Kelleher would lock horns with Journey Newson in a 135lb bout scheduled for the upcoming UFC Fight Night event in April.
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Having joined the UFC back in 2019 on the back of six straight wins, Newson has had a less-than-impressive start to life in the octagon and hopes a win over his next opponent will kickstart a resurgence in his career.
After suffering defeat in his debut to a tough Ricardo Ramos, the 33-year-old scored a huge knockout of Domingo Pilarte in under a minute at UFC 247, but the bout was later overturned to a no contest.
Determined to get his career back on track, the bantamweight matched up against Randy Costa next but was on the wrong end of a head kick just 41 seconds into the bout, earning him his second loss in the UFC. A decision victory in his next matchup was his first and only win in the promotion to date.
Brian Kelleher vs. Journey Newson and more confirmed bouts for April 29
The UFC Fight Night on April 29 is far from complete and only has a handful of confirmed matchups for the card, with the company still yet to find a venue or location for the event.
Alongside the bantamweight brawl between Brian Kelleher and Journey Newson, a women's featherweight fight will commence when Chelsea Chandler takes on Contender Series alum Danyelle Wolf.
The third and final match confirmed for the card is in the lightweight division, where the surging Natan Levy steps into the cage against Pete Rodriguez, fresh from his knockout win over Mike Jackson. It remains unclear as to who will eventually be called upon to headline the event.