UFC Fight Night 35 adds Amagov vs. High, Houston vs. Smith, Edwards vs. Nijem
The UFC’s January return to Georgia was given three new fights with welterweights Adlan Amagov vs. Jason High, middleweights Brian Houston vs. Trevor Smith and lightweights Justin Edwards vs. Ramsey Nijem.
UFC officials recently announced the bookings, which take place at UFC Fight Night 35 on Jan. 15 at Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga. The night’s main card airs on FOX Sports 1 following prelims that stream on MMAjunkie.com. Official placement for the bouts was not revealed.
“Borz†Amagov (13-2-1 MMA, 2-0 UFC) went 3-1 in four bouts under the Strikeforce banner before transitioning to the UFC in 2013 and earning victories over T.J. Waldburger and Chris Spang. After losing his professional debut, Amagov has now dropped just one fight in his past 15 appearances.
“The Kansas City Bandit†High (18-4 MMA, 2-1 UFC) fought three times in the octagon in his first calendar year for the promotion, losing his debut to Erick Silva but rebounding with wins over Anthony Lapsley and James Head. High recently teased a move to lightweight but will stay at 170 pounds for now.
“B-Hue†Houston (4-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) stormed through his competition on the regional scene, scoring three first-round knockouts in his first four professional contests and earning an invitation to the UFC. However, his debut didn’t go as planned, as he suffered a first-round submission loss to Derek Brunson at UFC Fight Night 31 earlier this month.
“Hot Sauce†Smith (10-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) also suffered a loss in his UFC debut, suffering a “Fight of the Night†split-decision loss to Ed Herman at July’s UFC on FOX 8 event. Smith is also in need of a win, as he is just 1-3 in his past four fights after opening his career at 9-1.
“Fast Eddy†Edwards (8-3 MMA, 2-3 UFC) was a cast member on “The Ultimate Fighter 13″ and has since fought five times for the promotion, starting with a split-decision loss to Clay Harvision in June 2011 and alternating wins and losses since. Most recently, he suffered a TKO loss to Brandon Thatch at August’s UFC Fight Night 27 event.
Nijem (7-4 MMA, 3-3 UFC) was also a cast member on “The Ultimate Fighter 13.†He also opened his official UFC career with a loss, suffering a knockout defeat to Tony Ferguson. He rebounded with three consecutive wins but has since dropped back-to-back fights to James Vick and Myles Jury.
With the additions to the card, UFC Fight Night 35 now includes:
Constantinos Philippou vs. Luke Rockhold
Cole Miller vs. Sam Sicilia
T.J. Dillashaw vs. Mike Easton
Ovince St. Preux vs. opponent TBA
Lorenz Larkin vs. Brad Tavares
Adlan Amagov vs. Jason High
Brian Houston vs. Trevor Smith
Justin Edwards vs. Ramsey Nijem
