Middleweight finishers Ikram Aliskerov and Brunno Ferreira are set to collide inside the octagon at UFC 318, the upcoming pay-per-view event scheduled for July 19 in New Orleans.
Sources with knowledge of the booking confirmed the news to MMA Fighting, following an initial report from Laerte Viana.
Aliskerov (16-2) delivered a dominant performance in his most recent octagon appearance in April, securing a first-round knockout victory over jiu-jitsu specialist Andre Muniz with a left hook just before the end of the opening round.
The Russian fighter bounced back effectively from his first UFC loss, which came against former middleweight champion Robert Whittaker. He currently holds a UFC record of 3-1, with all three victories coming by way of first-round knockout.
Ferreira (13-2) boasts a perfect finishing rate in his career, including four finishes within the UFC. Known as “Hulk,” he made a strong impression by stopping Gregory Rodrigues in the first round in 2023. He also finished Phil Hawes and Dustin Stoltzfus in the closing seconds of their respective opening rounds. The 32-year-old Brazilian recently recovered from a 2024 submission loss to Abus Magomedov, earning a second-round armbar victory against Armen Petrosyan this past March.
UFC 318 will take place at the Smoothie King Center and features Louisiana`s own Dustin Poirier in the main event, in what is expected to be his retirement bout, as he challenges Max Holloway for the symbolic “BMF” title.
