UFC 245 Update: Middleweights Ian Heinisch, Omari Akhmedov to Meet in Las Vegas

Ian Heinisch will square off against Omari Akhmedov in a middleweight bout at UFC 245.

The contest was initially confirmed by ESPN. UFC 245 takes place on Dec. 14 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and is headlined by a welterweight championship bout between Kamaru Usman and Colby Covington. Two more title tilts will be featured on the card, as Max Holloway meets Alexander Volkanovski for featherweight gold, while Amanda Nunes defends her bantamweight crown against Germaine de Randamie.

Heinisch, 31, saw a five-bout winning streak come to an end at UFC 241, where he dropped a unanimous verdict to Derek Brunson on Aug. 17. After earning a UFC deal with a knockout of Justin Sumter on Dana White’s Contender Series, Heinisch scored back-to-back decision wins over Cezar Ferreira and Antonio Carlos Jr. in his first two promotional appearances.

Akhmedov, meanwhile, is unbeaten in his last five UFC bouts, with a majority draw against Marvin Vettori the only blemish on his ledger during that time. The 32-year-old American Top Team representative last competed at UFC 242, earning a decision triumph over Zak Cummings.