Top bantamweight contenders Marlon Vera and Cory Sandhagen will clash in the main event of a UFC Fight Night card set for Feb. 18, the UFC announced Friday.
Vera, the No. 4-ranked bantamweight, is riding a four-fight winning streak and appears on the cusp of his first UFC title shot.
The Ecuadorian fighter rebounded from a loss to Jose Aldo in December 2020 with wins over Davey Grant and Frankie Edgar in 2021. He then took out Rob Font and Dominick Cruz in April and August, respectively.
Meanwhile, No. 5-ranked Sandhagen earned a TKO win (doctor stoppage) over Song Yadong in September to snap a two-fight losing streak, which included a controversial split-decision defeat to TJ Dillashaw and a short-notice interim title fight against Petr Yan.
Sandhagen previously won seven of his first eight UFC bouts, with his only loss coming to now-champion Aljamain Sterling in June 2020.
The winner of the Vera-Sandhagen main event will put themselves in the conversation for a shot at UFC gold after Sterling's next expected title defense against either former two-division champion Henry Cejudo or Sean O'Malley.
