TUF 28 champ Bryan Battle drops to welterweight, faces Takashi Sato at Aug. 6 UFC event

Bryan Battle is heading to the UFC’s welterweight division.

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that Battle will face Takashi Sato in his 170-pound debut at the UFC’s event on Aug. 6 at a location and venue yet to be announced.

Throughout his pro and amateur run, Battle has competed from middleweight to heavyweight with all of his pro bouts taking place at 185-pounds. The 27-year-old was the middleweight winner of Season 28 of The Ultimate Fighter and is 2-0 in the UFC — he earned a submission win over Gilbert Urbina this past August to win the TUF crown and a unanimous decision over fellow cast member Tresean Gore in February.

Sato hopes to get back on track after dropping his two most recent bouts and three of his past four. “Ten” stopped Jason Witt in less than a minute at UFC on ESPN 12 in June 2020 before suffering losses to Miguel Baeza and, most recently at UFC London in March against the returning Gunnar Nelson.

The UFC’s Aug. 6 event is headlined by a light heavyweight clash between Thiago Santos and Jamahal Hill.

Guilherme Cruz contributed to this report.