A pair of UFC alumni will close out Fight Nights Global's upcoming trip to Brazil.
Nikita Krylov is set to challenge light heavyweight champion Fabio Maldonado in the main event of FNG 87 on May 5 in Sao Paulo, the Russian outfit announced on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old Krylov parted ways with the UFC shortly after tapping to a first-round guillotine choke courtesy of Misha Cirkunov two Decembers ago at UFC 206, but has since won three straight. He last bested former Bellator champion Emanuel Newton by 43-second KO at FNG 77 in October, and has yet to hear the final horn in 28 professional fights.
Maldonado, 38, has won two straight by stoppage, the latest a third-round submission of Kurban Omarov that won him the FNG crown in September. He'd previously lost two straight decisions under the promotion's banner, including a controversial verdict to heavyweight legend Fedor Emelianenko.
In the lightweight co-headliner, UFC alum Diego Brandao will face newcomer Felipe Froes. The 30-year-old aims to get back in the win column after abruptly exiting the cage in the second round of his September tilt opposite Akhmed Aliev, which netted him a TKO loss. Brandao had won each of his previous two FNG bouts within the distance.
