A featherweight bout has been added to The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale in November as Tom Niinimaki has been signed by the UFC and he will meet Rani Yahya in his UFC debut.
UFC officials announced the fight booking on Tuesday and it will be placed on the preliminary card.
The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale will take place on November 30th from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas and will be headlined by Demetrious Johnson defending the UFC flyweight title against Joseph Benavidez.
Yahya (19-7) has won three in a row and four of his five fights in the UFC since coming to the organization in 2011. His last two victories have come by unanimous decision with the most recent victory coming at UFC 163 as he defeated Josh Clopton.
Niinimaki (20-5-1) has won his last eleven fights after starting his career with a 9-5 record. He is coming off a submission win at Cage 23 against former UFC fighter Walel Watson and three of his last four wins have come by submission.
The current fight card for The Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale is below.
Demetrious Johnson (18-2-1) vs. Joseph Benavidez (19-3)
TBA vs. TBA – TUF 18 men’s tournament final
TBA vs. TBA – TUF 18 women’s tournament final
Nate Diaz (16-9) vs. Gray Maynard (11-2-1, 1NC)
Jared Rosholt (8-1) vs. Walter Harris (6-1)
Akira Corassani (11-3, 1NC) vs. Maximo Blanco (9-4, 1NC)
Rani Yahya (19-7) vs. Tom Niinimaki (20-5-1)