Dan Ige will have a fresh start in the bantamweight division at UFC Fight Night 288, and have an opportunity to jump straight into the rankings with it.
Ige (19-11 MMA, 11-10 UFC), a veteran of more than 20 octagon appearances at featherweight, will drop down 10 pounds at Noche UFC on Sept. 12 at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Ariz. (Paramount+), when he takes on surging contender David Martinez (14-1 MMA, 3-0 UFC), who is No. 7 in the latest official UFC rankings.
A two-fight losing skid and defeats in his four of his past five at 145 pound prompts the drop down for the 34-year-old Ige. He will look to avoid his first three-fight skid against the 29-year-old Martinez, who has beaten Marlon Vera, Rob Font and Saimon Oliveira thus far in his octagon tenure.
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Ige won’t be the only one switching weight classes at Noche UFC. The promotion also announced Ignacio Bahamondes (17-7 MMA, 6-4 UFC) is set for a jump from lightweight to welterweight for a showdown with Muslim Salikhov (22-6 MMA, 9-5 UFC) on the card, as well.
The latest UFC Fight Night 288 lineup includes:
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Manon Fiorot vs. Alexa Grasso
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Joseph Morales vs. Brandon Moreno
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Curtis Blaydes vs. Waldo Cortes Acosta
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Yousri Belgaroui vs. Kelvin Gastelum
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Edgar Chairez vs. Tim Elliott
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JJ Aldrich vs. Regina Tarin
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Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Muslim Salikhov
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Dan Ige vs. David Martinez
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Thomas Gantt vs. Drakkar Klose
This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Dan Ige draws ranked name for bantamweight debut at Noche UFC
