Shane Young is poised to give Blake Bilder a potentially rude welcome to the UFC.
MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck confirmed with sources with knowledge of the matchup that Young (13-6) is set to fight the undefeated Bilder (7-0-1) in a featherweight bout at UFC 284 in Perth, Australia, on Feb. 12.
This marks Young’s first fight since a loss to Omar Morales at UFC 260 in March 2021. The New Zealand native has lost his past two fights after scoring consecutive victories over Austin Arnett and Rolando Dy. Young’s UFC record currently stands at 2-3.
Bilder makes his UFC debut following an impressive performance against Alex Morgan on Dana White’s Contender Series this past August. “El Animal” defeated Morgan by first-round submission to earn a UFC contract. He has yet to lose since making his pro debut in 2018 and is currently on a five-fight win streak.
UFC 284 is headlined by a champion vs. champion fight as recently crowned lightweight king Islam Makhachev takes on featherweight titleholder Alexander Volkanovski.
