Anton Turkalj to Face Ibo Aslan at UFC Atlantic City on March 30

A light heavyweight clash between former regional foes Anton Turkalj and Ibo Aslan has been booked for the UFC Atlantic City event on March 30.

The news was first announced by Turkalj's coach on the Kaftsmallspodden podcast, and the date was confirmed by Aslan on social media.

Prior to making their way to the Ultimate Fighting Championship, Turkalj and Aslan faced each other under the Brave Combat Federation banner in Aug 2020 at Brave CF 40. The catchweight meeting ended with a Round 2 submission victory for Turkalj and marked the end of Aslan's undefeated run as a professional.

Since then, Aslan (12-1) has racked up a four-fight winning streak, most recently securing a contract with the UFC following a Round 1 technical knockout victory against Paulo Renato Jr. in an appearance on Dana White's Contender Series in August.

On the other hand, Turkalj (8-3), who also made his way to the UFC through Dana White’s Contender Series, is currently on a three-fight losing streak. The Swede will enter the Octagon on March 30 on the heels of a Round 1 knockout loss to Tyson Pedro at UFC 293 in September.

UFC on ESPN 54 will be headlined by a welterweight clash between Sean Brady and Vicente Luque, while the co-main event will feature a women’s flyweight matchup pitting Erin Blanchfield against surging French talent Manon Fiorot.