Gian Villante Moves Up to Heavyweight, Meets Maurice Greene on June 27

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Gian Villante will test his skills in the UFC’s heavyweight division when he squares off against Maurice Greene on June 27.

MMAFighting.com first reported the bout, which is slated for a card tentatively headlined by a lightweight showdown between Dustin Poirier and Dan Hooker. The event does not currently have a venue, but is likely for the UFC Apex in Las Vegas if combat sports is allowed to resume in Nevada.

Villante, 34, hasn’t competed in the heavyweight division since his Strikeforce debut in 2011, when he suffered a first-round technical knockout loss at the hands of Chad Griggs. The Bellmore Kickboxing Academy product has experienced an up-and-down tenure in the UFC, compiling 7-8 mark since his debut in April 2013. In his most recent outing, Villante was stopped in the opening round by Michal Oleksiejczuk at UFC Fight Night 145 in February 2019.

Greene is looking to right the ship after being finished in back-to-back UFC appearances by Sergei Pavlovich and Alexey Oleynik. “The Crochet Boss” began his promotional tenure with three straight triumphs. He is 8-4 as a professional, with six victories coming inside the distance.