Diego Ferreira vs. Gregor Gillespie added to UFC Fight Night event on May 8

Diego Ferreira vs. Gregor Gillespie added to UFC Fight Night event on May 8

A lightweight bout between Diego Ferreira and Gregor Gillespie has been added to UFC on ESPN 24 on May 8. Although a venue and location have yet to be named for the event, it’s expected that it’ll take place in Las Vegas.

ESPN was the first to report the news.

The 36-year-old Ferreira is currently ranked No. 12 at 155 pounds, but he’s coming off a split-decision loss to Beneil Dariush. Before that, however, the Brazilian had won six straight fights. That stretch included victories over Olivier Aubin-Mercier, Jared Gordon, Kyle Nelson, Rustam Khabilov, Mairbek Taisumov, and most notably, former UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis.

Gillespie, meanwhile, currently sits at No. 15 in the division, but he hasn’t competed since suffering a brutal knockout loss to Kevin Lee in November 2019. Before losing to Lee, the 34-year-old Gillespie, a highly decorated amateur wrestler, was unbeaten in his professional mixed martial arts career with a record of 13-0. He owns UFC victories over Vinc Pichel and Yancy Medeiros, among others.

Most recently, Gillespie, who fights out of Long Island, New York, was scheduled to meet Brad Riddell on March 20, but the bout was scrapped the day of due to COVID-19 protocols.

The May 8 UFC Fight Night event is currently set to be headlined by the return of two-time bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw, who will take on surging top contender Cory Sandhagen.

Fight card:

Cory Sandhagen vs. T.J. Dillashaw – 135 lbs
Donald Cerrone vs. Diego Sanchez – 170 lbs
Ben Rothwell vs. Philipe Lins – 265 lbs
Amanda Ribas vs. Angela Hill – 115 lbs
Neil Magny vs. Geoff Neal – 170 lbs
Diego Ferreira vs. Gregor Gillespie – 155 lbs
Ryan Benoit vs. Zarrukh Adashev – 125 lbs
Maurice Greene vs. M. Rogério de Lima – 265 lbs
C. Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris – 170 lbs
Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jun Yong Park – 185 lbs
Nikolas Motta vs. Damir Hadžović – 155 lbs
Mike Trizano vs. Ľudovít Klein – 145 lbs
F. Figueiredo vs. JP Buys – 125 lbs

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Michael Henken
Long Island-based sports writer covering MMA, Boxing, and the New York Jets.