Dylan Bowker
Jesse ‘The Bodysnatcher’ Ronson is making his return to the Octagon. Over six-years after his last foray under the UFC banner, Ronson is taking a relatively short-notice fight at welterweight.
Danny Roberts was initially slated to face Nicolas Dalby until Roberts had to bow out due to injury. Dalby vs. Ronson goes down in Abu Dhabi at Yas Island. TSN’s Aaron Bronsteter initially reported the news.
Jesse Ronson’s initial UFC run saw him go 0-3 against elite competition in close bouts. Three split-decision defeats to the likes of Michel Prazeres, Francisco Trinaldo, and Kevin Lee. Ronson’s previous UFC run was at 155-pounds and his return to the promotion will see him weigh in at the 170-mark.
Ronson has been active in the multiple years he has been outside the UFC. Ronson collected belts in TKO at lightweight and welterweight. Concurrently holding those belts in Canada’s biggest MMA promotion. He also had a PFL stint and his last fight was a victory over highly touted prospect Troy Lamson at BTC 9.
Dalby is riding a four-fight win streak heading into this bout. His last outing was a September 2019 unanimous decision win over Alex Oliveira. Dalby was supposed to compete at UFC London in March but that event would end up getting canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Cage Warriors product is on his second run in the UFC. This outing presents a chance for Dalby to secure his first-ever set of back to back Octagon victories. The European MMA influence does not stop there though. UFC’s July 25th. event on Yas Island is headlined by Darren Till who takes on the Australian Robert Whittaker. The full card below the marquee attraction is, at this juncture, looking like this:
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira vs. Mauricio Rua
Alex Oliviera vs. Peter Sobotta
Alexander Gustafsson vs. Fabricio Werdum
Nicolas Dalby vs. Jesse Ronson
Tom Aspinall vs. Jake Collier
Raphael Pessoa vs. Justin Tafa
Movsar Evloev vs. Mike Grundy
Bethe Correia vs. Pannie Kianzad
Ramazan Emeev vs. opponent TBA
Gadzhimurad Antigulov vs. Paul Craig
Jai Herbert vs. Francisco Trinaldo
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