TORONTO — Calgary featherweight (Mean) Hakeem Dawodu will face Shane (Hurricane) Burgos at UFC 257 on Jan. 23.
It's a high-profile card given it marks the return of Conor McGregor, the former UFC featherweight and lightweight champion. The Irish star takes on Dustin (The Diamond) Poirier in a rematch of the September 2014 fight that McGregor won by first-round knockout.
The UFC 257 location has yet to be announced.
Dawodu (12-1-1) has won five straight since losing his UFC debut by first-round submission to to Danny (The Hatchet) Henry in March 2018. The 29-year-old Canadian is coming off a split-decision victory over Zubaira (Warrior) Tukhugov at UFC 253 in September.
Burgos (13-2-0) had his three-fight win streak snapped last June in a decision loss to Josh Emmett. Burgos, ranked 12th among 145-pound contenders, is 6-2-0 in the UFC.
In other Canadian UFC news, light-heavyweight Misha Cirkunov has suffered an undisclosed injury in training. His Dec. 19 bout against Ryan (Superman) Spann will now take place early in 2021.
Cirkunov, a Toronto native who trains in Las Vegas, is ranked 10th among 205-pound contenders while Spann is No. 12.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 4, 2020
The Canadian Press
