UFC Fight Roundup: Andrei Arlovski to make 39th UFC appearance vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima

Fights come together fast these days, and if you blink, you can easily miss them. In Fight Roundup, we bring you the latest reported matchups to keep you up to date with what’s on the horizon.

All bouts featured have been officially announced or confirmed with MMA Fighting’s Guilherme Cruz, Mike Heck, and Damon Martin via sources with knowledge of the matchups.

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Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Andrei Arlovski vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima

Andrei Arlovski will soon be one step closer to UFC appearance No. 40.

The former heavyweight champion fights Marcos Rogerio de Lima (19-8-1) at the UFC’s upcoming Oct. 29 event, a bout that marks Arlovski’s 39th outing for the promotion that he has competed for since 2000. A location has yet to be officially announced for the card.

Combate was first to report the matchup.

At 43, Arlovski (34-20, 2 NC) finds himself on his longest win streak since 2016, with four straight decision nods over Jake Collier, Jared Vanderaa, Carlos Felipe, and Chase Sherman. His most recent win over Collier — a controversial split call — gave him six victories in his past seven fights and improved his UFC record to 23-14 (1 NC).

De Lima is coming off of a unanimous decision loss to Blagoy Ivanov at UFC 274 this past May. “Pezao” is 4-3 since returning to the heavyweight division in 2018.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Chase Hooper vs. Steve Garcia

Also added to the Oct. 29 card, Chase Hooper meets Steve Garcia in a featherweight bout.

Hooper (11-2-1), one of the youngest fighters in the UFC’s 145-pound division, has alternated wins and losses in five appearances for the promotion. The 22-year-old defeated Felipe Colares by third-round TKO at UFC Vegas 55 this past May and his UFC record now stands at 3-2.

Garcia (12-5) has also alternated wins and losses in his UFC career thus far. He has sandwiched a knockout victory over Charlie Ontiveros with losses to Maheshate and Luis Pena. Garcia previously fought for Bellator, where he compiled a 5-2 record.

Sherdog was first to report the matchup.

Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC

Caio Borralho vs. Makhmud Muradov

A bout featuring promising middleweights Caio Borralho and Makhmud Muradov has been added to the loaded UFC 280 pay-per-view on Oct. 22 in Abu Dhabi.

Borralho (12-1, 1 NC) has impressed since being signed off of the 2021 season of the Contender Series, with decision wins over Armen Petrosyan and Gadzhi Omargadzhiev. Both bouts were co-main events of UFC Fight Night cards.

Muradov (25-7) looks to make his first appearance of 2022 after withdrawing a booking this past February. In his most recent outing at UFC Vegas 35 in August 2021, he lost by second-round submission to Gerald Meerschaert. That loss snapped a 14-fight win streak for Muradov. His UFC record stands at 3-1.

The matchup was first announced via Muradov’s social media.

Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

Chelsea Chandler vs. Julija Stoliarenko

Invicta FC standout Chelsea Chandler has a new opponent for her UFC debut.

With originally scheduled opponent Leah Letson withdrawing for undisclosed reasons, Chandler (4-1) now fights former Invicta champion Julija Stoliarenko (10-6-2) in a bantamweight bout at an Oct. 1 event with a venue still to be determined.

Chandler broke the news while providing commentary for a Urijah Faber’s A1 Combat event this past Sunday. After losing her pro debut in October 2018, Chandler has rattled off four straight wins competing at 145 and 135 pounds. She most recently defeated Courtney King by unanimous decision in a featherweight bout at Invicta FC 47.

Stoliarenko scored her first UFC win in her fifth try at UFC 276 this past July, submitting Jessica-Rose Clark by armbar in just 42 seconds. The Ultimate Fighter 28 cast member defeated Lisa Verzosa by split decision in a 2020 Fight of the Year candidate to capture a vacant Invicta bantamweight championship before returning to the UFC that same year.

Contender Series: Week 4

The official lineup for Week 4 of the 2022 Contender Series is set.

In the lightweight main event, England’s Thomas Paull (11-3) fights undefeated Argentinian Esteban Ribovics (10-0). Neither fighter has seen the scorecards in their pro careers, with all of Paull’s wins coming by way of KO/TKO and Ribovics having an even split of knockouts and submissions in his 10 victories.

Also on the card, undefeated Cage Warriors bantamweight champion Jack Cartwright (10-0) fights 2020 Contender Series hopeful Jose Johnson (14-7), and LFA and Invicta FC bantamweight prospect Hailey Cowan (6-2) fights Brazil’s Claudia Leite (7-2).

Contender Series: Week 4 takes place at UFC APEX in Las Vegas on Aug. 16.

See the full lineup below:

• Thomas Paull vs. Esteban Ribovics — lightweight
• Ivan Valanzeula vs. Claudio Ribeiro — middleweight
• Jack Cartwright vs. Jose Johnson — bantamweight
• Hailey Cowan vs. Claudia Leite — bantamweight
• Nazim Sadykhov vs. Ahmad Hassanzada — lightweight