A middleweight rematch between Yoel Romero and Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza will headline UFC Fight Night on April 27 in Sunrise, Florida, UFC president Dana White said.
The UFC finalized the 185-pound headliner on Thursday, White told ESPN. The event will take place at BB&T Center and air on ESPN+.
Initially, the promotion looked into pairing Romero (13-3) with Brazilian prospect Paulo Costa (12-0), but it changed course this week. Romero, 41, was able to commit to the April 27 date only recently, due to an appearance on a Spanish-language reality show.
Fighting out of American Top Team in south Florida, Romero is 1-2 in his past three contests. Both losses came in five-round fights against current champion Robert Whittaker.
Souza (26-6) is coming off a riveting, third-round knockout victory over Chris Weidman at UFC 230 on Nov. 3 in New York. The former Strikeforce champion is still looking for his first UFC title shot despite a 9-3 record inside the Octagon.
The two met previously in December 2015. Romero won a very narrow split decision in a three-round bout. ESPN ranks Romero and Souza the Nos. 2 and 4 middleweights, respectively.