The card for UFC 291 is taking shape, with the promotion announcing two new matchups for the July 29 event. Matthew Semelsberger will face Yohan Lainesse at welterweight, while Roman Kopylov will meet Claudio Ribeiro at middleweight on the preliminary draw. UFC 291 takes place at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, and is headlined by a lightweight rematch pitting Dustin Poirier against Justin Gaethje for the BMF title.
Semelsberger vs. Lainesse
Semelsberger, known as “Semi the Jedi,” has a record of 5-3 since beginning his promotional tenure in 2020. Most recently, he dropped a split decision to Jeremiah Wells at UFC Fight Night 222 on April 22. Meanwhile, Lainesse, a former competitor on Dana White’s Contender Series, has lost two of his first three Octagon appearances. In his last outing, the Canadian known as “White Lion” was submitted by Mike Malott in the opening stanza at UFC Fight Night 220 on February 25.
Kopylov vs. Ribeiro
After losing his first two promotional appearances, Kopylov has rebounded to score back-to-back stoppage victories against Alessio Di Chirico and Punahele Soriano in UFC competition. The 32-year-old Russian owns a 10-2 career mark, with nine of those triumphs coming inside the distance. On the other hand, Ribeiro will be fighting under the UFC banner for the third time in 2023 when he faces Kopylov. He suffered a second-round KO loss to Abdul Razak Alhassan in his promotional debut before stopping Joseph Holmes via Round 2 TKO at UFC 288.
With these new matchups, UFC 291 promises to be an exciting event for fans, showcasing the talents of both seasoned and up-and-coming fighters in the welterweight and middleweight divisions.