A bout between two ranked lightweights has been slated for the May 8 Fight Night lineup when Carlos Diego Ferreira locks horns with Gregor Gillespie.
Gregor Gillespie was originally scheduled to fight Brad Riddell on March 20, but that bout was cancelled after a team member of Riddell contracted the coronavirus. Instead the fight being rescheduled, Gillespie will now take on a fellow ranked fighter in Diego Ferreira according to an ESPN report released Tuesday. The fight is scheduled to take place on May 8, a card that will be headlined by Cory Sandhagen facing the returning T.J. Dillashaw.
Gregor Gillespie is coming off the first loss of his MMA career to Kevin Lee in 2019. With over a year elapsed since this setback, fans will finally get to see what new wrinkles The Gift is prepared to unfurl next month. Outside of the brutal KO loss to Lee, Gillespie has been nothing short of remarkable thus far in the UFC, wining every bout convincingly, with half of his six UFC wins earning him a performance bonus. Gillespie is yet to get it done against ranked opposition, though, so Ferreira will lend him an opportunity to do just that come May 8.
Diego Ferreira knows what’s like to be a streaking lightweight in the UFC. The Brazilian was on a six-fight winning streak from 2016-2020. Like Gillespie, this streak came to an end in his most recent outing. Ferreira would come up short against Beneil Dariush in February at UFC Fight Night: Overeem vs. Volkov. Ferreira is a third-degree black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu, so these credentials could ensure that the All-American wrestler Gillespie opts to keep the fight vertical, a position both of these men have shown no hesitation in welcoming.
With the addition of this lightweight scrap, the updated May 8 Fight Night card is as follows:
Cory Sandhagen vs. T.J. Dillashaw
Diego Ferreira vs. Gregor Gillespie
Donald Cerrone vs. Diego Sanchez
Angela Hill vs. Amanda Ribas
Philipe Lins vs. Ben Rothwell
Maurice Greene vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Ryan Benoit vs. Zarrukh Adashev
Damir Hadzovic vs. Nikolas Motta
Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris
Francisco Figueredo vs. Jimmy Flick
Roxanne Modafferi vs. Taila Santos
Tafon Nchukwi vs. Jun Yong Park
Who’s your pick to win this lightweight scrap between Diego Ferreira and Gregor Gillespie?
