Ross Pearson has agreed to move up to welterweight to take on a short notice fight with Jorge Masvidal at UFC 201 on July 30th in Atlanta, Georgia.
Pearson agreed to step in and replace Siyar Bahadurzada just days after losing by unanimous decision to former Bellator lightweight champion Will Brooks at the TUF 23 Finale last Friday night in Las Vegas.
The fact that he’s moving up in weight too makes it an even tougher proposition for the Brit, particularly since he’s also competed at featherweight in the past, and is frame seems more suited to the lighter divisions.
Neverthless, the former TUF winner clearly feels that he needs to try something different to get out of his current rut, which has seen him alternate between single wins and losses for his past 9 fights.
In Masvidal he’s facing another fighter who moved up from the lightweight division not so long ago, and despite ‘Gambred’ having three inches in height and five inches in reach over the Brit, the switch hasn’t worked out too well for him so far, losing to both Ben Henderson and Lorenz Larkin – though notably they both came by way of a split decision verdict.
Pearson Vs Masvidal joins a UFC 201 card that’s set to be headlined by a welterweight title fight featuring current champion Robbie Lawler going up against Tyron Woodley.
Flyweight champion Demetrious Johnson had been expected to defend his belt in the co-main event, but he pulled out injured last week and so currently it’s rising strawweight contender Rose Namajunas who takes that spot opposite Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
