The UFC has announced a bout between welterweight contenders Demian Maia and Jorge Masvidal is set for May 13 at UFC 211 in Dallas.
Long touted as the challenger-in-waiting to the welterweight title, the third-ranked Maia had been biding his time since earning his sixth straight victory by submitting Carlos Condit in under two minutes in August, but has now opted to remain active and take on a surging contender in Masvidal.
The 32-year-old Masvidal has rebounded from a pair of split decision losses to Benson Henderson and Lorenz Larkin with a vengeance, dispatching three straight to move into the No. 6 spot of the divisional rankings. "Gamebred" last earned the most valuable scalp of his 40-plus fight career at UFC on FOX 23, where he bested Donald Cerrone by second-round knockout.
The Dallas show will be headlined by a pair of title bouts, with Stipe Miocic defending the heavyweight strap against Junior dos Santos in the headliner, and Joanna Jedrzejczyk putting her strawweight crown on the line against the streaking Jessica Andrade in the co-main event.