It took Jordan Williams three opportunities on Dana White’s Contender Series to earn a UFC contract, and he’s wasting no time making his promotional debut.
Williams, who secured his deal this past Tuesday, is set to fight fellow promotional newcomer Nassourdine Imavov at UFC Fight Night on Oct. 3 from Yas Island in Abu Dhabi. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie on Friday after an initial report by MMA Fighting.
Williams (9-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC), 29, is coming off a first-round TKO victory over Gregory Rodrigues at DWCS 33. In two previous tries, Williams had a victory overturned because of a failed drug test for marijuana and lost in his return. But the third time proved to be the charm, and now he’s ready for his UFC career to get underway.
Imavov (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC), who most recently has fought for ARES FC, is riding a five-fighting winning streak, most recently winning by first-round TKO last December.
With the addition, the Oct. 3 lineup includes:
- Holly Holm vs. Irene Aldana
- Germaine de Randamie vs. Julianna Pena
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Tanner Boser
- Jinh Yu Frey vs. Loma Lookboonmee
- Yorgan De Castro vs. Carlos Felipe
- Beneil Dariush vs. opponent TBA
- Carlos Condit vs. Court McGee
- Heili Alateng vs. Casey Kenney
- Julia Avila vs. Nicco Montano
- Tom Breese vs. Roman Kopylov
- Josh Culibao vs. Charles Jourdain
- Nassourdine Imavov vs. Jordan Williams