Middleweights Chris Weidman, Kelvin Gastelum Top UFC on Fox 25 Lineup

A middleweight showdown between Chris Weidman and Kelvin Gastelum will headline UFC on Fox 25 in Long Island on July 22.

The matchup was announced during a press conference in Dallas on Friday. UFC on Fox 25 takes place at Nassau Coliseum and also includes a bantamweight scrap pitting Jimmie Rivera against Thomas Almeida. The evening’s main card will be televised on the Fox Network.

Weidman, the former UFC middleweight champion, enters the bout on a three-fight skid. The Serra-Longo Fight Team product lost the title to Luke Rockhold at UFC 194 and has since been finished by Yoel Romero and Gegard Mousasi. Prior to his current slump, Weidman began his career with 13 consecutive triumphs, besting the likes of Anderson Silva (twice), Vitor Belfort, Lyoto Machida and Demian Maia along the way.

Gastelum, meanwhile, had a first-round knockout victory against Belfort at UFC Night 106 changed to a no contest after “The Ultimate Fighter 17” winner tested positive for marijuana metabolites on the evening of the bout. That positive test also resulted in Gastelum being removed from a proposed bout against Silva at UFC 212 on June 3. Even without the Belfort victory on his resume, Gastelum has looked impressive of late, posting victories over Tim Kennedy and Johny Hendricks in his two Octagon appearances last year.