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On his Instagram page Friday, Khabilov (23-2) announced he will be facing Ferreira (14-2) at UFC Fight Night 145 at the O2 Arena in Prague. In his post, via translation, he stated, "On Feb. 23 in Prague, Carlos Diego Ferreira became my rival, we go further after my seventh victory insha'Allah."
Victorious in his last six bouts dating back to 2016, Khabilov has defeated all six of those opponents by decision. Khabilov’s lone 2018 outing ended as a controversial split decision win over Kajan Johnson. Making his UFC debut back at “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 16 Finale in December 2012, he became the second fighter in promotional history to finish his opponent via a suplex, joining Terry Martin, who finished Ivan Salaverry with one at UFC 71 in 2007.
Sherdog.com’s 2018 Walkout Song of the Year winner Ferreira is riding a three-fight win streak dating back to 2016, including knockouts of Jared Gordon and Kyle Nelson in 2018. Ferreira made headlines by famously walking out to “Footloose” by Kenny Loggins in each of those two bouts, making him the first recorded fighter to walk to the Octagon accompanied by that song.
UFC Fight Night 145, also known as UFC on ESPN+ 3, will take place at the O2 Arena in Prague, Czech Republic, on Feb. 23. Headlining the promotion’s debut event in Prague will be a light heavyweight battle between Jan Blachowicz and Thiago Santos.