THE LINE-UP FOR the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s sold-out return to Dublin next month is now set.
A featherweight contest between Darren Elkins and Robert Whiteford today became the 12th and final bout to be booked for the event, which will take place at the 3Arena on Saturday, 24 October.
UFC Fight Night 76, the organisation’s third event in Dublin, will be headlined by the lightweight meeting of Dustin Poirier and Donegal native Joseph Duffy.
American heavyweight contenders Stipe Miocic and Ben Rothwell will clash in the co-main event, while five other Irish fighters — Paddy Holohan, Norman Parke, Neil Seery, Aisling Daly and Cathal Pendred — will also feature.
Whiteford (12-2), who hails from Scotland, will be aiming for his third consecutive UFC victory when he takes on Elkins. The 32-year-old Scot followed up a win over Daniel Pineda last year with a first-round KO of Ireland’s Paul Redmond at UFC Glasgow this past July.
Elkins (18-5) is currently ranked 14th in the UFC’s 145lbs division and has tasted victory in the octagon on eight occasions since joining the UFC in 2010. He holds notable wins against Diego Brandao and former Bellator champion Pat Curran.
A 31-year-old American, Elkins has been stopped just twice in his 12 UFC outings — by former featherweight title challenger Chad Mendes and seventh-ranked contender Charles Oliveira.
Here’s the finalised line-up, with the order set according to UFC.com:
Dustin Poirier vs. Joseph Duffy
Stipe Miocic vs. Ben Rothwell
Nicolas Dalby vs. Darren Till
Paddy Holohan vs. Louis Smolka
Norman Parke vs. Reza Madadi
Stevie Ray vs. Mickael Lebout
Neil Seery vs. Jon Delos Reyes
Scott Askham vs. Krzysztof Jotko
Aisling Daly vs. Ericka Almeida
Cathal Pendred vs. Tom Breese
Darren Elkins vs. Robert Whiteford
Bubba Bush vs. Garreth McLellan
