UFC, WSOF Vet Rousimar Palhares to Face Alexei Ivanov in Fight Nights Global 70 Main Event

Controversial submission specialist Rousimar Palhares will square off against Alexei Ivanov in the Fight Nights Global 70 headliner on July 7.

The Russian promotion recently announced the pairing. Fight Nights Global 70 takes place at the FSK Sports Complex in Ulan-Ude, Buryatia, Russia. The card is expected to be available on UFC Fight Pass shortly after the event’s conclusion.

Palhares has lost two straight fights since parting ways with World Series of Fighting after he was suspended indefinitely and stripped of his 170-pound title for cranking a kimura a few seconds too long in an Aug. 2015 victory over Jake Shields. The Brazilian returned to action at Venator FC 3, where he was knocked out in 45 seconds by Emil Weber Meek. Most recently, “Toquinho” suffered a second-round KO defeat to Michal Materla at KSW 36 this past October. The 37-year-old previously compiled an 8-4 mark in the UFC but was released from the promotion for failing to release a heel hook in a timely fashion in an October 2013 clash vs. Mike Pierce.

Ivanov, meanwhile, had a seven-fight winning streak snapped in his last outing at Fight Nights Global 57, where he tapped to a Gennadiy Kovalev guillotine choke 1:51 into the opening stanza. The 29-year-old Russian is 11-3 as a pro, including 10 triumphs inside the distance.