Lucas Almeida Announces UFC 296 Matchup vs. Andre Fili

A featherweight bout has been added to the Ultimate Fighting Championship’s last event of the year.

Andre Fili (22-10) and Lucas Almeida (14-2) are set to trade leather at UFC 296 on Dec. 16. The booking was first announced by Almeida on social media.

Almeida had never gone the distance in 12 pro wins when he made an appearance on “Dana White’s Contender Series” e in 2021. While he suffered his first pro loss against Daniel Zellhuber via unanimous decision, Almeida got a UFC call after picking up another finish on the regional circuit. Almeida scored a technical knockout win over Michael Trizano in his UFC debut in June 2022 but went on to suffer a submission loss against veteran Pat Sabatini this past June. The Brazilian was scheduled to fight Wiliam Gomis at UFC Paris in September, but the 32-year-old was forced out due to an injury.

Meanwhile, Fili has only won one of his past five outings since 2020 — a split decision victory against top prospect Bill Algeo in September 2022. However, all of his losses have come against tough competition, including a decision loss against English standout Nathaniel Wood this past September.

UFC 296 is set to go down at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas with two titles on the line. In the main event, welterweight champion Leon Edwards will take on former interim champion Colby Covington, while the co-main event will feature flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja going up against Brandon Royval in his first title defense.