Canada’s Charles Jourdain is set to return to action in September against a one-time title challenger.
Jourdain is set to face Marlon Vera on Sept. 19 in a three-round bantamweight contest.
The matchup was first announced by Vera’s management, Iridium Sports Agency, on Monday and confirmed Tuesday morning by TVA Sports. The event is expected to serve as UFC 331 and take place at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, Calif. However, the UFC has not made any official event announcements beyond a Sept. 5 Fight Night card in France.
Jourdain has gone 3-0 since dropping down from 145 to 135 pounds following a loss to surging featherweight contender Jean Silva two summers ago.
The 30-year-old from Beloeil, Que., began his bantamweight tenure with back-to-back submission wins over Victor Henry and Davey Grant, both of which earned him a Performance of the Night bonus, and earned a Fight of the Night bonus for his unanimous decision victory over Kyler Phillips in April.
Vera, meanwhile, has been heading in the opposite direction, losing four in a row and five of his past six fights overall. He holds notable wins over past UFC champions Dominick Cruz, Frankie Edgar and Sean O’Malley, but hasn’t gotten his hand raised in three years.
The 33-year-old from Ecuador was defeated by O’Malley in their rematch at UFC 299 in 2024 when O’Malley was the champion but Vera lost a five-round decision and failed to capture the title.
Vera has since lost three straight three-round decisions to Deiveson Figueiredo, Aiemann Zahabi and most recently David Martinez in February.
It is unclear at this time if Jourdain vs. Vera will take place on the Sept. 19 main card or if it will be a preliminary bout. No other matchups have been added to the event to date.
