UFC Belem gets local bantamweight Iuri Alcantara vs. Joe Soto

Iuri Alcantara, one of the few Para native talents to compete inside the Octagon, will get to fight a few miles away from home in February.

A 45-fight veteran, “Marajo,” is set to take on fellow bantamweight Joe Soto at the UFC Belem card on Feb. 3, the company announced on Thursday. The match-up was first reported by Combate.

Alcantara (35-9, 1 no-contest) desperately needs a victory following a pair of disappointing performances in the second half of 2017. He was submitted by Brian Kelleher in Rio de Janeiro and lost a decision to Alejandro Perez at UFC Fresno earlier this month.

Soto (18-6) was riding a three-fight winning streak in the UFC, which included a decision victory over Rani Yahya in Brazil, but looks to rebound from a quick submission defeat to Brett Johns at TUF 26 Finale on Dec. 1st. Soto is 3-4 under the UFC banner.

UFC Belem will take place at the Mangueirinho Gymnasium on Feb. 3 and features Lyoto Machida vs. Eryk Anders in the main event.

Lyoto Machida vs. Eryk Anders
Valentina Shevchenko vs. Priscila Cachoeira
Thiago Santos vs. Anthony Smith
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Joseph Morales
Timothy Johnson vs. Marcelo Golm
Polyana Viana vs. Maia Stevenson
Alan Patrick vs. Damir Hadzovic
Iuri Alcantara vs. Joe Soto