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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
The UFC is adding a pivotal bantamweight contest between former champ Henry Cejudo and Marlon “Chito” Vera to its UFC 292 lineup in August, UFC president Dana White told ESPN on Monday.
Contracts have not been signed, but both sides have verbally agreed to the bout. It will take place on the pay-per-view event on Aug. 19 in Boston’s TD Garden. A bantamweight championship bout between defending champion Aljamain Sterling and Sean O’Malley is slated to headline the card.
Cejudo (16-3) is coming off a failed bid to recapture the 135-pound title in May. The former dual-weight champion came out of a three-year retirement to challenge Sterling at UFC 288, but lost via split decision.
Cejudo initially planned on waiting for a fight against Sterling’s teammate and No. 1-ranked bantamweight title contender Merab Dvalishvili, but opted to jump at an opportunity to fight on Aug. 19, which marks the 15-year anniversary of his Olympic gold medal run in 2008.
Vera (22-8-1), of Ecuador, is also coming off a split decision loss. He came up just short in a five-round fight against Cory Sandhagen in March. Prior to the loss, Vera had won four in a row.
Cejudo and Vera are the UFC’s Nos. 3 and 6-ranked bantamweights, respectively.