Light-heavyweight contenders Alexander Gustafsson and Antonio Rogerio Nogueira are set to headline a March 8 UFC event in London, England.
UFC president Dana White made the announcement following Saturday’s UFC Fight Night: Machida vs. Munoz event in Manchester.
Gustafsson (15-2) is coming off a five-round unanimous decision loss to 205-pound champ Jon Jones at UFC 165 in Toronto in what many are calling the fight of the year.
Nogueira (21-5) hasn’t fought since a lacklustre decision victory over Rashad Evans in February. The Brazilian, who has competed just once in the last 21 months due to various injuries, was scheduled to fight Mauricio Rua at UFC 161 in Winnipeg but had to withdraw from the event with an injury.
In April 2012, Gustafsson and Nogueira were supposed to headline an event in Sweden, but Nogueira pulled out of that fight injured as well.
According to White, if Gustafsson beats Nogueira it will set up a rematch with Jones if the champ is able to defend his title against Glover Teixeira in his next bout, which is expected to take place in early 2014.
The March 8 show will take place at the O2 Arena and serve as the organization’s first event on an upcoming UFC European Tour.
