Rani Yahya to Meet Ricky Simon at UFC 234 in Melbourne

Rani Yahya will square off against Ricky Simon in a bantamweight tilt at UFC 234.

Brazilian outlet Combate was first to report the booking. UFC 234 takes place in Melbourne on Feb. 9 and is headlined by a middleweight championship clash pitting Robert Whittaker against Kelvin Gastelum.

The 34-year-old Yahya has been victorious in seven of his last eight promotional appearances. Most recently, the Constrictor Team product tapped Luke Sanders with a heel hook 1:31 into the opening stanza of their bout at UFC Fight Night 135.

Simon enters the matchup on a seven-fight winning streak that includes victories over Montel Jackson and Merab Dvalishvili in UFC competition. The 26-year-old Gracie Barr Portland member is 14-1 as a professional.