The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will be back in Ireland next month on November 19th for UFC Fight Night 99: Kim vs Nelson. “Stun Gun” Dong Hyun Kim and SBG Ireland fighter Gunnar Nelson will be squaring off in the main event of the evening scheduled for five rounds. The welterweights will conclude the night of scraps in Belfast, one that is expected to be as memorable as the promotion’s previous trips to Ireland. The fight card is expected to sell out within minutes. In a potential co-main event, flyweights Ian McCall and Neil Seery will be going toe to toe in what could be a contender for the evening’s ‘Fight of the Night’ bonus. Both 125-pounders are in dire need of victory heading into this contest. In another flyweight contest on the evening’s main card, Japan’s Kyoji Horiguchi will take on Dagestan’s Ali Bagautinov. This bout was originally scheduled to take place in Manila last weekend, but due to the card being scrapped, the fight has been moved to the Belfast show next month. A battle of former title challengers, a win is necessary if either 125-pounder hopes to get within arms reach of the division’s gold. Artem Lobov and Teruto Ishihara will square off in a featherweight contest that is arguably the most highly anticpated bout on this entire fight card. Ishihara has been gaining a lot of fans with his recent knockout victories, many of who would like to see him defeat Lobov in brutal fashion. UFC Fight Night 99 in Belfast could also produce a pair of barn-burners in the 155-pound division as well in the form of Ross Pearson versus James Krause and Kevin Lee against Magomev Mustafaev. Both contests have the likelihood of being entertaining and are the type of matchups in which just about anything can happen. Heavyweight action will almost certainly add some shine to this card too, with a couple of bouts in the works. In an attempt to make it two wins in a row for himself inside the Octagon, undefeated prospect Justin Ledet welcomes promotional newcomer Mark Godbeer to the big show. In addition, fan favorite Timothy Johnson looks to make it two straight for himself with a win over UFC newcomer Alexander Volkov, who previously held the Bellator heavyweight title. In a middleweight affair, Magnus Cedenblad will look to get back on track following a recent setback with a victory over promotional newcomer Jack Marshman. The 26-year-old Welsh fighter is riding a six-fight winning streak heading into his Octagon debut, and he aims to make a statement. The card would not be complete without some female action. In the women’s strawweight division, Amanda Cooper will be taking on Anna Elmose. This will be Cooper’s first fight since losing to Tatiana Suarez at the TUF 23 Finale back in July. Elmose made her promotional debut against Germaine de Randamie, losing the bout via first-round TKO. She now drops down two weight classes in a effort to pick up her first UFC victory. In the women’s bantamweight division, Marion Reneau will take on Milana Dudieva. Both ladies have their backs against the wall heading into this one, so they are expected to leave it all inside the Octagon in an effort to get their hand raised. The Irish fans are some of the best in MMA, as are the shows the UFC puts on in the country. Like any previous trip to Ireland, UFC Fight Night 99 is fully expected to deliver.
