UFC Fight Night in Dublin adds McCall-Pickett, Latifi-Lawlor, Harris-Serry, Donovan-Krylov
The UFC’s long-awaited return to Ireland is starting to fill out, as officials today announced a total of five matchups for the summer event.
In addition to the previously-announced matchup of Ryan LaFlare vs. Gunnar Nelson, which will serve as the evening’s co-main event, UFC officials today announced Ian McCall vs. Brad Pickett, Ilir Latifi vs. Tom Lawlor, Phil Harris vs. Neil Seery and Cody Donovan vs. Nikita Krylov for the July 19 event at Dublin’s The O2.
The event marks promotion’s second visit to Dublin. The card is expected to stream on UFC Fight Pass in the U.S. Tickets for the event go on sale in June.
“Uncle Creepy†McCall (12-4-1 MMA, 1-2-1 UFC) and “One Punch†Pickett (24-8 MMA, 4-3 UFC) were expected to meet earlier this year. An injury forced McCall to withdraw from the card, and Pickett instead picked up a victory over replacement Seery. McCall and Pickett have since engaged in a war of words and will be looking to settle the score.
“I’ve never looked forward to punching someone in the face as much as Ian McCall in my life,†Pickett stated. “I’ve never had the chance to visit Ireland, but the support Neil Seery received from the Irish fans when I fought him in London was amazing. I hope they’ll be able to show me the same this time round.â€
Latifi (8-3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) made his UFC debut as a light heavyweight, filling in on short notice to face Gegard Mousasi in a losing effort. He was given a second chance in the promotion and earned an emotional submission win over Cyrille Diabate in March. He returns to action for a fight against the always-entertaining “Filthy†Lawlor (9-5 MMA, 5-4 UFC), who hasn’t fought since an April 2013 win over Michael Kuiper.
Harris (22-12 MMA, 1-3 UFC) was announced as a Cage Warriors signee earlier this month, but now returns to the UFC in immediate need a win. He meets Irishman “2 Tap†Seery (13-10 MMA, 0-1 UFC), who showed heart in an entertaining decision loss to Pickett.
“Donnybrook†Donovan (8-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC) comes to the card with his time on the UFC roster in jeopardy after suffering back-to-back losses to Gian Villante and Ovince St. Preux. He meets Ukranian import “Al Capone†Krylov (16-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC), who debuted in the UFC as a heavyweight but later dropped to 205-pounds, where he suffered a submission loss in his first bout, which came against St. Preux.
While the card is still without a main event, featherweights Conor McGregor and Cole Miller have each expressed their interest in meeting in a headlining role.
With the addition to the card, the lineup now includes:
Ryan LaFlare vs. Gunnar Nelson
Ian McCall vs. Brad Pickett
Ilir Latifi vs. Tom Lawlor
Phil Harris vs. Neil Seery
Cody Donovan vs. Nikita Krylov
