An unofficially announced UFC event on August 19, 2023 has added a former champion.
Cody Garbrandt (13-5) will face Mario Bautista (12-2) in a heavyweight bout at the event, which currently has no reported location, venue, or broadcast plan. Reservation news was first noted by MMA fighting.
Garbrandt later confirmed the fight on his Instagram Story.
“No Love” Cody recently returned to the winning pole with a three-round unanimous decision win over Trevin Jones at UFC 284. The fight also saw Garbrandt return to 135 pounds, after a botched flyweight move that saw him fall to Kai Kara-France.
The former bantamweight champion, who won the title in a career-defining performance against Dominic Cruz in 2016, is 2-5 since then. Another victory of the 31-year-old Team Alpha Male fighter was a knockout of Rafael Assuncao in 2020.
Mario Bautista has won four fights in a row, while the last three he won through submission. He earned the Performance of the Night bonus this stretch, after knocking out Benito Lopez with the arm triangle last November.
Bautista is 6-2 inside the Octagon through eight fights. Prior to joining the UFC in 2019, he competed in the LFA and Combate Americas, among other promotions.
The UFC card for August 19 currently does not have fights other than Cody Garbrandt vs Mario Bautista that I reported on.