Devonte Smith was in need of a new opponent for UFC 241 after the withdrawal of John Makdessi and now the fighter has one because MMA Junkie is reporting that Clay Collard has accepted the short notice opportunity.
Smith (10-1-0) is undefeated thus far under the UFC banner, having defeated the duo of Julian Erosa and Dong Hyun Ma. Smith also competed on Dana White?s Tuesday Night Contender Series Episode 16, defeating Joseph Lowry by first round knockout. Smith is a former V3 Fights Lightweight Champion, defeating Nick Gehrts by fourth round TKO at V3 Fights 65 in November of 2017 to win the gold.
Collard (17-8-0-1NC) is going to be starting his second run with the UFC and does so having won three of the last four fights. Collard won just one of four during his initial run with the UFC, with that lone win coming over Alex White at UFC 181. Collard has seen eight of his twenty six professional MMA bouts go the distance, with the fighter winning four of those eight encounters.
UFC 241 takes place on Saturday, August 17 from the Honda Center in Anaheim, California with Daniel Cormier and Stipe Miocic headlining. Fightful is going to be providing live coverage of the event, with a post-show podcast to follow.