Alexandre Pantoja to Face Askar Askarov at UFC Event on July 18

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A pivotal flyweight duel pitting Alexandre Pantoja against Askar Askarov has been booked for July 18.

Askarov announced the bout on social media, and it was later confirmed by MMAFighting.com. The location for the event could either be at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas or on “Fight Island,” which could be up and running by July.

Pantoja has been victorious in four of his last five Octagon appearances. The 30-year-old Brazilian last competed at UFC Fight Night 165 on Dec. 21, where he knocked out Matt Schnell in the opening stanza. The former Resurrection Fighting Alliance champion is 7-2 in the Las Vegas-based promotion overall, with his only two defeats coming at the hands of Dustin Ortiz And Deiveson Figueiredo.

Askarov, meanwhile, is unbeaten in 12 professional outings, though he did battle Brandon Moreno to a majority draw in his Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 159 this past September. The 27-year-old Dagestani earned his first promotional triumph in his next bout, as he outpointed Tim Elliott at UFC 246 on Jan. 18. Prior to joining the UFC, Askarov was a flyweight titlist in the Absolute Championship Akhmat organization.

Let’s Go pic.twitter.com/BSWn6vsSNg

— Askar Askarov (@askar_mma) May 23, 2020