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MANILA, Philippines – After nearly spending a year on the sidelines due to an injury, Filipino-American fighter John Dodson will make his much-awaited return to the Octagon as he is set to face Zach Makovsky at the UFC 187 pay-per-view event on May 23 (May 24 in Manila).
Dodson (16-6) received an Ultimate Fighting Championship contract in December 2011 when he won season 14 of The Ultimate Fighter reality television series as a bantamweight competitor.
Following his move from bantamweight to flyweight and scoring back-to-back victories over the likes of Tim Elliot and Jussier Formiga, Dodson challenged division titleholder Demetrious Johnson in January 2013, but he suffered a unanimous decision setback.
“The Magician” rebounded from the disappointing defeat to Johnson, drubbing Darrell Montague via knockout in October 2013 before thwarting John Moraga eight months later.
Dodson’s impressive routing of Moraga put him next in line for another shot at Johnson’s gold-plated belt, but his second title opportunity was derailed due to an injury.
The 30-year-old standout from Albuquerque, New Mexico went under the knife to repair a torn meniscus as well as his anterior cruciate ligament in July 2014.
On the other hand, Makovsky (19-5) was recently in action against Elliot at February’s UFC Fight Night 60, where he earned his third UFC triumph via unanimous decision.
Makovsky, 32, is a two-division champion, winning the Bellator bantamweight belt versus Ed West in October 2010 before taking home the Resurrection Fighting Alliance flyweight strap against Matt Manzanares in November 2013.
The aforementioned 125-pound encounter makes sense from a matchmaking standpoint as Dodson occupies the No. 1 spot in the official UFC flyweight rankings, while Makovsky checks in at No. 9.
UFC 187, which takes place at the 16,800-capacity MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, is headlined by two championship clashes.
Reigning light heavyweight king Jon Jones defends his crown against Anthony Johnson, while Chris Weidman attempts to hold on to his middleweight belt as he squares off with perennial contender Vitor Belfort. – Rappler.com
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