'TUF 29' winner Ricky Turcios gets sophomore UFC bout vs. Aiemann Zahabi
Ricky Turcios is back, whether you feel him or not.
The bantamweight winner of “The Ultimate Fighter 29” Turcios (11-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) will make his second walk to the UFC cage July 9 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, where he’ll take on Aiemann Zahabi (8-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) in a 135-pound bout, the promotion announced recently on social media.
A colorful and unique character, Turcios quickly became a fan favorite for his interviews and frequently used phrases, “You know what I’m sayin’?” and “Ya feel me?” While his interviews succeeded in catching people’s attention, so did his fights. Turcios defeated Daniel Argueta and Liudvik Sholinian in the house before he beat Brady Hiestand in the tournament finale at UFC on ESPN 30.
Canada’s Zahabi bounced back from two consecutive losses in his most recent outing when he knocked out Drako Rodriguez in Round 1. The bout was a 140-pound catchweight fight after Rodriguez missed weight by 4.5 pounds.
Locked in for July 9th!
@Aiemannzahabi will take on @RickyHadouken! pic.twitter.com/OYkTQgSjvy
— UFC Canada (@UFC_CA) May 23, 2022
With the addition, the July 9 lineup includes:
- Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Nina Nunes
- Cortney Casey vs. Antonina Shevchenko
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Rani Yahya
- Saidyokub Kakhramonov vs. Ronnie Lawrence
- Said Nurmagomedov vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
- Jamie Pickett vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
- Caio Borralho vs. Armen Petrosyan
- Sijara Eubanks vs. Tresean Gore
- Ricky Turcios vs. Aiemann Zahabi