Herbert Burns signs new UFC deal, welcomes 23-0 newcomer Khusein Askhabov on July 16

Herbert Burns will finally re-enter the octagon when he faces featherweight debutant Khusein Askhabov at UFC’s Fight Night event on July 16. Multiple sources close to the situation confirmed the news to MMA Fighting following a report by TASS.

Burns (11-3), who signed a new four-fight deal in the process of getting this matchup booked, hasn’t competed since Aug. 2020 courtesy of a knee injury that required surgery.

The younger brother of UFC welterweight Gilbert Burns lost his most recent bout to Daniel Pineda after back-to-back UFC first-round stoppages over Nate Landwehr Evan Dunham and a quick submission over Darrick Minner at Dana White’s Contender Series.

Askhabov makes his first walk to the eight-sided cage after building an impressive 23-0 record on the Russian and European circuit, only seven of those being by way of decision.

A professional since 2012, “Lion” scored 12 of his 23 MMA wins inside the opening round. Askhabov’s UFC debut was originally planned for Aug. 2021 but he was forced out of a fight with Joanderson Brito due to visa issues.

The Fight Night event will be headlined by a featherweight showdown featuring Brian Ortega and Yair Rodriguez.

Mike Heck contributed to this report.