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Demian Maia-Kamaru Usman Welterweight Tilt Headlines UFC’s First Trip to Chile

The Ultimate Fighting Championship officially announced Thursday that UFC Fight Night 129 has a new main event, as Demian Maia and Kamaru Usman have been slated to compete in a welterweight scrap on May 19 at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile.

Maia (25-8) is looking to halt a two-fight skid after dropping consecutive contests to Tyron Woodley and Colby Covington. Usman (12-1) will put his eleven-fight winning streak on the line. The Brazilian steps in for Santiago Ponzinibbio, who was originally booked to duel “The Nigerian Nightmare” but had to pull out due to injury.

The card’s initial main event was a light heavyweight bout between former 205-pound champion Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Volkan Oezdemir. The matchup was pulled from the UFC’s May 19 trip to Chile due to ongoing legal issues for Oezdemir, who is facing a third-degree felony battery charge for allegedly knocking a man unconscious outside a Florida bar.

This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com

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