Lyoto Machida Set for Return Opposite Derek Brunson Following UFC Sao Paulo Weigh-in

The UFC Fight Night 119 main event middleweight battle between Derek Brunson and Lyoto Machida is set following the official weigh-in on Friday in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Brunson is returning off of a win over Daniel Kelly in June of this year. It was his first victory since a two-fight skid that sidetracked his run toward a middleweight title shot. 

Machida will be fighting for the first time in more than two years, after having been sidelined because of an 18-month suspension for an anti-doping policy violation. He had lost three of his four most recent bouts before being sanctioned, so it’s a very important return for Machida, a former UFC light heavyweight champion, who said earlier this week that he has reinvented himself.

Both fighters stepped on the scale at 185 pounds, making their headlining bout official.

Colby Covington faces the biggest, and most difficult, opportunity of his career when he squares off with Demian Maia in the UFC Sao Paulo co-main event. 

Covington has amassed a 12-1 record, but Maia is the missing piece of the puzzle. With Maia fresh off of a disappointing loss to UFC welterweight champion Tyron Woodley in July, Covington would vault himself into title contention should he upset the No. 3 ranked welterweight. 

Maia and Covington each stepped on the scale at 171 pounds, which is within the one-pound allowance for a welterweight non-title bout.

This article first appeared at News – MMAWeekly.com