Dubliner Neil Seery will face off against English fighter Brad 'One Punch' Pickett at UFC Fight Night: Gustafsson vs Manuwa in London on March 8th.
Pickett's original opponent Ian McCall was forced to pull out of the fight after suffering an injury during training, leaving the Londoner looking for a dance partner in one of the biggest nights for European Mixed Martial Arts of the year.
Step up Neil Seery. The fighter known as '2Tap' is the reigning Cage Warriors Flyweight (125lbs) champion and the Team Ryano competitor, who has won 6 of his last 7 fights, has been offered the chance in the big leagues.
Seery's training partners have gone on the record as saying that their teammate is currently in the best shape of his life. He was set to defend his Cage Warriors title against former UFC competitor Ulysses Gomez in December but that fight was cancelled at the last minute due to Gomez' inability to make weight and Seery's supporters maintain that their fighter is in the optimum condition as he prepares for the biggest test of his twenty three fight career.
What's particularly interesting about this bout is that it was largely orchestrated thanks to a Twitter campaign directed at the UFC by the Irish MMA community demanding that Seery take on Pickett - and they clearly got their wish.
This will be an interesting battle, with both competitors capable of mixing it up on the feet or on the mat. Neither man is known for backing down from a brawl, either, so expect some fireworks in London on March 8th.
