Robert Ruchala hopes the second time is the charm.
Looking to bounce back from an unsuccessful promotional debut, Ruchala (11-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) returns April 4 vs. Jose Delano (16-3 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas, the promotion recently announced.
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Ruchala, 27, is the former KSW interim featherweight champion. He headlined for the promotion twice and only lost once to Salahdine Parnasse, a fighter believed by many to be one of the best pound-for-pound outside the UFC. Ruchala debuted unsuccessfully vs. William Gomis in September and now goes from veteran opponent to debutant.
Delano, 29, earned his UFC contract with a unanimous decision win over Manuel Exposito on Dana White’s Contender Series in August. Prior to his UFC onboarding, Delano was a standout in LFA where he compiled a 6-1 promotional record. He enters the April 4 bout on a four-fight winning streak.
The current April 4 lineup includes:
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Virna Jandiroba vs. Tabatha Ricci
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Tofiq Musayev vs. Samuel Sanches
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Hailey Cowan vs. Alice Pereira
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Alessandro Costa vs. Stewart Nicoll
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Dione Barbosa vs. Melissa Gatto
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Azamat Bekoev vs. Tresean Gore
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Tommy McMillen vs. Manolo Zecchini
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Guilherme Pat vs. Thomas Petersen
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Jose Delano vs. Robert Ruchala
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Rafael Estevam vs. Ethan Ewing
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Ex-KSW titleholder gets second UFC crack
