October 18, 2023 9: 55 am ET
It was a hard roadway back for Cody Garbrandt and Brian Kelleher, however they’ve lastly protected their next tasks: each other.
At UFC 296, Gabrandt (13-5 MMA, 8-5 UFC) and Kelleher (24-14 MMA, 8-7 UFC) will return from injuries to face off in a bantamweight bout. The occasion takes location Dec. 16 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Two individuals with understanding of the scenario verified the reserving to MMA Junkie however asked to stay confidential as the promo has yet to make an authorities statement. Marcel Dorff was veryfirst to report the news Wednesday on X, previously understood as Twitter.
Gabrandt, 32, was expected to contend at UFC 292 in August vs. Mario Bautista however withdrew due to injury. He most justrecently completed at UFC 285 in March when he beat Trevin Jones by consentaneous choice. The win snapped a two-fight skid and moved him to 2-5 in his most current 7 looks.
Kelleher, 37, defied the chances in his return, returning from neck problems that were atfirst idea as possibly career-ending. However, surgicaltreatment in September hasactually enhanced the problem, an