The next flyweight title challenger could emerge when top 125-pounders Zach Makovsky and Jussier Formiga meet at UFC 176 on Aug. 2 in Los Angeles.
UFC officials announced the two fighters have verbally agreed to the matchup.
Makovsky (18-4) was the inaugural Bellator bantamweight champion and has gone 4-0 since dropping down a weight class last year. In his two UFC appearances, the Philadelphia native picked up unanimous decision wins over former WEC title challenger Scott Jorgensen and rising contender Josh Sampo.
Formiga (16-3) has a meager 2-2 record in the UFC, but is coming off a first-round submission over Jorgensen in March. The Brazilian jiu-jitsu expert had previously been the top-ranked flyweight in MMA prior to the UFC adding the division in 2012.
A featherweight title fight between Jose Aldo and Chad Mendes headlines UFC 176, which takes place at the Staples Center.
Rising flyweights meet
Impressive flyweight prospects Justin Scoggins and Dustin Ortiz have a verbal agreement in place to meet at The Ultimate Fighter 19 Finale on July 6 in Las Vegas, UFC officials announced.
Scoggins (9-0) made his UFC debut in December when he TKO’d Richie Vaculik in the first round at UFC Fight Night: Hunt vs Bigfoot in Australia. The 22-year-old followed that up with a unanimous decision win over veteran Will Campuzano at UFC 171 in March.
Ortiz (13-3) has won two of his three UFC bouts with his only loss being a split decision to recent title challenger John Moraga.
A trilogy bout between former champions and TUF 19 coaches B.J. Penn and Frankie Edgar will serve as the main event. The card also features a lightweight contest between Kevin Lee and Canadian standout Jesse Ronson.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Watch UFC Fight Night: Brown vs Silva live Saturday on Sportsnet 360 with prelims starting at 8 p.m. EST and the main card at 10 p.m. EST
In other UFC news…
— Jake Lindsey will make his UFC debut against Jon Tuck at UFC Fight Night 42 in Albuquerque June 7. Lindsey (9-0) has been named an injury replacement for Yosdenis Cedeno.
— Lucas Martins is set to face Jim Alers in featherweight action at UFC Fight Night 45 in Atlantic City. Martins (14-1) will be moving up from the bantamweight division; he submitted Junior Hernandez in 70 seconds in his last outing in September. Alers (13-1) earned a split decision over Alan Omer his UFC debut in April to extend his current winning streak to nine.
— Flyweights Ray Borg and Ryan Benoit will look for their first UFC win when they meet at UFC Fight Night 44 in San Antonio June 28. Borg (6-1) lost a split decision to Dustin Ortiz on April 19 in a fight he took on short notice, while Benoit (7-3) was submitted by Josh Sampo at the TUF 18 Finale last November.
— Argentina’s Santiago Ponzinibbio is scheduled to fight Brazil’s Ildemar Alcantara in a preliminary bout at UFC 175 July 5 in Las Vegas. Ponzinibbio (18-2) fell short in his UFC debut, losing a unanimous decision to Ryan LaFlare in November. Meanwhile, Alcantara (20-6) has won three of his four UFC bouts, including a split decision over Albert Tumenov in February.
