For Will Chope (19-5), it’s now the biggest fight of his life. And a dream turned reality.
Fight Sport Asia reported early Wednesday morning that Chope is set to take on unbeaten prospect, Bekbulat Magomedov, in the UFC’s first visit to South-East Asia in January.
Team Buffet native, Chope, signed with the Pacific X-Treme Combat a few months back in hopes of making an octagon appearance. He defeated former King of Pancrase, Takumi Nakayama, in his PXC debut, and my oh my did that impress the UFC brass. A fortnight on and he’s now with the world’s largest Mixed Martial Arts organization.
He follows the footsteps of fellow PXC graduates Hyun Gyu Lim and Jon Tuck among others as he looks to make an impression on the biggest stage in all of MMA.
Chope is the tallest and lengthiest 145-lbs fighter in the Asian region, and perhaps the world. On a fourteen fight win streak, the 23-year-old encountered a rough start to his pro MMA career, picking up only a single victory in his first five outings. But an 18-1 run since then has completely turned the tides for the American, who has now established himself as one of the front runners in Asian MMA.
Chope takes on Bekbulat Magomedov (11-0) in his UFC debut, a Russian starlet who’s yet to suffer a blemish on his pro MMA resume. Having finished all of his bouts via knockout or submission, the Russian native’s outing with Chope will be his toughest yet, and an intriguing encounter that’s sure to appeal to fight fans. Magomedov will be featured on RUFF’s month-end fight card, in a main event clash with China’s top prospect, Wang Guan.
UFC Fight Night 34, AKA UFC: Singapore, takes place January 4 at Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. A Welterweight tilt between contenders Jake Ellenberger (29-7) and Tarec Saffiediene (14-3) headlines the event.
With that, the latest line-up now includes:
- Jake Ellenberger vs. Tarec Saffiedine
- Hacran Dias vs. Tatsuya Kawajiri
- Kiichi Kunimoto vs. Hyun Gyu Lim
- Kyung Ho Kang vs. Shunichi Shimizu
- Katsunori Kikuno vs. Quinn Mulhern
- Will Chope vs. Bekbulat Magomedov
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