The upcoming UFC 331 card has added two heavyweight fights to its lineup as its fight card continues to grow.
The UFC made the official announcement on Wednesday morning that the following two heavyweight fights have been added to UFC 331, which takes place on September 19 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California.
- Tai Tuivasa vs. Robelis Despaigne
- Gable Steveson vs. Sean Sharaf
In addition, previously-revealed bouts between Renato Moicano vs. Brian Ortega 2 and Ryan Gandra vs. Ozzy Diaz were also confirmed by the UFC.
[ September 19 LIVE on @paramountplus ]
Tai Tuivasa Gets Another Fight
Tai Tuivasa returns to the Octagon at UFC 331 when he tries to snap a seven-fight losing skid against Robelis Despaigne, who was recently re-signed to the UFC after knocking out Junior dos Santos at MVP MMA.
Tuivasa is a fan favorite, but he has lost seven straight fights, so it’s a bit surprising that he’s even getting another fight. That being said, he has been training at American Top Team in the lead-up to this fight, so perhaps he will look improved as he looks to potentially snap his long losing streak against Despaigne, who will be the favorite to win this fight.
After going 1-2 in his first UFC stint, Despaigne was cut, and then he went to Karate Combat, where he became a champion. He then signed with MVP MMA and beat dos Santos via brutal knockout before returning to the UFC for this fight against Tuivasa.
Gable Steveson Looks to Continue Winning Ways
Gable Steveson is an elite athlete who is 4-0 so far in his pro MMA career. A former Olympic Gold Medalist in freestyle wrestling and a former practice squad NFL player for the Buffalo Bills, Steveson had a successful UFC debut at UFC 329 in July when he defeated Elisha Ellison via first-round TKO.
As for Sharaf, he is 0-2 in the UFC with two knockout losses and is now getting a very difficult matchup against Steveson, who will likely be a massive betting favorite in this bout as he has a gigantic advantage when it comes to the wrestling department.
UFC 331 still does not have a main event announced.
UFC 331 Adds New Heavyweight Bouts