Lightweights Reza Madadi, Marc Diakiese to Clash at UFC 204 in Manchester

Reza Madadi will welcome Marc Diakiese to the Octagon at UFC 204 on Oct. 8.

Promotion officials announced the lightweight pairing on Thursday. UFC 204 takes place in Manchester, England, and is headlined by a middleweight title bout between Michael Bisping and Dan Henderson.

The 38-year-old Madadi was victorious in his first appearance of 2016, stopping Yan Cabral via third-round technical knockout at UFC Fight Night in Rotterdam this past May. “Mad Dog” is 3-2 in the Octagon overall, including a notable submission triumph of Michael Johnson in April 2013.

Diakese enters his promotional debut with a 9-0 professional record. The 23-year-old English fighter’s last five bouts have come under the British Association of Mixed Martial Arts banner, including back-to-back KO/TKO triumphs in his last two outings.