TORONTO -- Calgary featherweight (Mean) Hakeem Dawodu will be looking for his sixth straight UFC win when he takes on unbeaten Russian Movsar Evloev at UFC 263 on June 12.
Evloev (14-0-0) is ranked 14th among 145-pound contenders while Dawodu (12-1-1) is No. 15.
The 29-year-old Dawodu was slated to face Shane Burgos on Jan. 23 at UFC 257 but had to pull out with a shoulder injury.
Dawodu has been on a roll since losing his UFC debut by first-round submission to Danny (The Hatchet) Henry in March 2018. He is coming off a split-decision victory over Zubaira (Warrior) Tukhugov at UFC 253 last September.
The 27-year-old Evloev has won all four of his UFC outings, most recently earning a split decision over veteran Nik (The Carny) Lentz at UFC 257.
The UFC 263 main event at the Gila River Arena sees Nigerian-born New Zealander Israel (The Last Stylebender) Adesanya defend his middleweight title against Italy's Marvin (The Italian Dream) Vettori, ranked third among 185-pound contenders.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 4, 2021
