Thiago Moises vs. Brad Riddell Set for UFC Fight Night Event on March 16

Two Ultimate Fighting Championship lightweights looking to get back into contention will throw down in March.

At the currently unnumbered UFC Fight Night Event on March 16, a show that will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Thiago Moises (17-7) and Brad Riddell (10-4) will collide. News of this lightweight pairing first came on Wednesday night courtesy of Eurosport NL, and it has since been confirmed by Moises’ management team on Thursday.

Moises ended his 2023 campaign unsuccessfully when he faced Benoit St. Denis at UFC Fight Night 226, ultimately succumbing to strikes near the end of Round 2. That defeat concluded a two-fight submission streak for the Brazilian, who tapped Christos Giagos with a rear-naked choke and crushed Melquizael Costa’s face with a crank. Each of the last five outings for the submission specialist have ended inside the distance, win or lose.

Riddell has struggled as of late, suffering three stoppage losses in 2021 and 2022. When the Kiwi lost to Renato Carneiro to put himself on a three-bout skid, he stated that he would be stepping away from the sport for a time. His self-imposed hiatus will have lasted about 16 months, and the 32-year-old will be aiming to get back to his winning ways which saw him prevail in his first four trips to the Octagon—notably pulling off a decision over Drew Dober in 2021 to get a place in the lightweight rankings.

The March 16 UFC Fight Night event will go down at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and no headliner is currently on the books. The highest-billed bout currently on the lineup is likely Moises-Riddell. Four other matches are currently set: a welterweight scrap between Bryan Battle and Ange Loosa, a flyweight contest pitting Ode Osbourne against Jafel Filho, a strawweight affair when Cory McKenna faces Jaqueline Amorim and a high-intensity collision between Christian Rodriguez and Isaac Dulgarian at 145 pounds.