Yahoo Sports John Dodson Returns on Stacked UFC 187 Fight Card
UFC No. 1 ranked flyweight contender John Dodson will finally return to the Octagon nearly a year after his last fight.
UFC officials on Sunday announced that Dodson would return as part of a stacked UFC 187 fight card on May 23 at the Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. He'll have no easy welcome back to the Octagon, as he faces No. 9 ranked Zack Makovsky in a bout that could determine the next flyweight contender.
Dodson (16-6) hasn't fought since June 7 when he defeated John Moraga via TKO stoppage on his home turf in Albuquerque, N.M. About a month later, he underwent knee surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament and torn meniscus. Dodson has been sidelined ever since, rehabbing the injury, and awaiting a chance to return and get back in the title hunt.
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Makovsky (19-5) won his first two UFC bouts, but then stumbled again Jussier Formiga, losing a unanimous decision. He bounced back by besting Tim Elliott at the recent UFC Fight Night 60: Henderson vs. Thatch, putting himself right back in the thick of the title mix. A victory over Dodson would go a long way towards putting him in the running for a shot at the winner of the upcoming bout between current champion Demetrius Johnson and challenger Kyoji Horiguchi at UFC 186.
UFC 187 is a stacked fight card. It already features Jon Jones putting his light heavyweight belt on the line against Anthony Johnson in the main event, as well as middleweight titleholder Chris Weidman finally squaring off with Vitor Belfort. And if that weren't enough, the supporting cast also features Khabib Nurmagomedov vs. Donald Cerrone, Joseph Benavidez vs. John Moraga, and Andrei Arlovski vs. Travis Browne.
