Rodolfo Vieira meets Saparbek Safarov at UFC 248

Brazilian jiu-jitsu legend Rodolfo Vieira has a date and an opponent set for his next Octagon appearance.

The UFC announced on Tuesday that the five-time BJJ world champion and ADCC gold medalist will take on Saparbek Safarov at UFC 248, a pay-per-view show scheduled for March 7 in Las Vegas.

“The Black Belt Hunter” made his UFC debut in August, submitting Oskar Piechota with an arm-triangle choke at UFC Montevideo. The grappling wizard holds a perfect 6-0 record with six stoppages in MMA.

Safarov (9-2) scored his first UFC win in March 2019, defeating Nick Negumereanu via decision after losing to Gian Villante and Tyson Pedro. The 33-year-old Russian will be making his middleweight debut against Vieira.

UFC 248 takes place at the T-Mobile Arena and features the first title defense of strawweight champion Weili Zhang, facing former 115-pound queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk.