Report: UFC’s trip to Long Island gets clash of top-15 featherweights

On July 22, the UFC will debut in Long Island, New York with UFC on Fox 25. As this card draws ever closer, it is beginning to come together with several key matchups.The latest matchup that has been pencilled onto the bill is a featherweight scrap between top-15 ranked fighters. In one corner, we’ll have hard nosed Team Alpha Male fighter Darren Elkins. In the other, we’ll have New York’s own Dennis Bermudez.

This matchup was first reported by Ariel Helwani on Twitter. At the time of this writing, the UFC has not officially announced the matchup.

Bermudez-Elkins

— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) May 13, 2017

Elkins will enter this fight with an incredible, comeback for the ages in his wake. This comeback occurred in a March bout with the highly regarded Mirsad Bektic, who was dominating the fight until Elkins found an opening for a blistering, third-round head kick for the win. With this win, Elkins moved onto a four-fight streak, having recently bested Godofredo Pepey, Chas Skelly, and Robert Whiteford, all by unanimous decision.

Bermudez, meanwhile, will enter the fight on a one-fight losing streak, having most recently appeared in January, when he was knocked out by a first-round punch dealt by “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung. Prior to this loss, he defeated Rony Jason and Tatsuya Kawajiri by decision.

The UFC’s trip to Long Island will be headlined by a middleweight bout between former champion Chris Weidman, and surging contender Kelvin Gastelum, who was recently suspended for testing positive for marijuana metabolites. The card will also feature a key bantamweight bout between New Jersey’s Jimmie Rivera and venomous Brazilian striker Thomas Almeida.

Who do you think wins this Dennis Bermudez vs. Darren Elkins fight? Will Bermudez get back on track with a nice win, or will Elkins extend his streak to five? Make your picks in the comments section!

This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 5/16/2017.