Felipe Arantes out, Debuting Brian Kelleher In Against Iuri Alcantara at UFC 212 in Rio de Janeiro
Iuri Alcantara isn't getting the opponent most expected, but “Marajo” now has an official booking in his native Brazil.
The Ultimate Fighting Championship officially announced that Alcantara will take on newly-signed Ring of Combat standout Brian Kelleher at UFC 212 on June 3 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It will be the 15th UFC bout for Alcantara and the promotional debut for Kelleher.
Alcantara, 36, was briefly linked to a rematch with fellow Brazilian “Sertanejo” Felipe Arantes for the card, but Arantes pulled out of the bout for undisclosed reasons. The native of Para, Brazil has pulled off two rousing submissions in a row, styling on now-retired Brad Pickett before finishing him via triangle choke last October, then overcoming an early beating from previously unbeaten Luke Sanders before nabbing a second-round kneebar.
The 30-year-old Kelleher is a product of Team Bombsquad in Cortland, New York, the same team that developed former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones and bantamweight contender Aljamain Sterling. Since enduring a 1-4 stint three years ago, “Boom” has won six in a row, including a pair of wins over ROC bantamweight champ Julio Arce. Unfortunately, Kelleher missed the 135-pound limit for bout Arce fights and did not win the promotion's title.
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