Rousimar Palhares has a date and opponent for his debut in Fight Nights Global.
The longtime UFC veteran is set to take on Alexei Ivanov in a yet-to-be-announced Fight Nights Global event in Russia on June 30, sources told MMA Fighting following a report by Combate.
Palhares (18-8) went on an impressive four-fight submission streak after leaving the UFC in 2012, winning and defending the WSOF welterweight belt in the process, but dropped his last couple of fights by knockout in Italy and Poland.
Under the UFC banner, “Toquinho" racked up a 8-4 record with six impressive submissions, but not letting the position go immediately after the tap led to his release. The same issue caused the end of his run as WSOF champion in 2015, after finishing Jake Shields with a kimura.
Ivanov (8-4), who built his MMA record fighting for multiple promotions in his native Russia, recently had a five-fight winning streak with four knockouts finishes snapped with a first-round submission loss to Gennadiy Kovalev.