Kiwi UFC welterweight Luke Jumeau to fight Daichi Abe at UFC 221 in Perth

  • 02/01/2018
"The Jedi" has become the latest Kiwi added to February's event in Western Australia.
"The Jedi" has become the latest Kiwi added to February's event in Western Australia. Photo credit: Getty Images

Hamilton's Luke Jumeau will take on Daichi Abe in a welterweight bout at UFC 221 in Perth in February.

The 29-year-old becomes the third Kiwi fighter to sign on for the organisation's inaugural event in Western Australia, alongside UFC debutant Israel Adesanya
and heavyweight veteran Mark Hunt.

The card is also headlined by New Zealand-born middleweight champion Robert Whittaker, who's looking to defend his middleweight title against Luke Rockhold. 

The fight will be Jumeau's third in the after making his debut at the Fight Night in Auckland in June, where he overwhelmed Dominique Steele to earn a unanimous decision victory.

A subsequent loss to Shinsho Anzai in Japan three months later put an end to his seven-fight win streak, but 'The Jedi' will be looking to bounce back and earn the 13th win of his professional career.

His opponent Abe, himself a newcomer to the UFC, made his debut in his native Japan on the same card as Jumeau where he fought to a convincing decision win against Hyun Gyu Lim.

The 26-year-old boasts a flawless 6-0 professional record in his brief MMA career, which only dates back as far as April 2016.

Jumeau's City Kickboxing stablemate Auckland's Dan Hooker is another eager to secure a spot at the event, his chances of likely to be dependent on receiving medical clearance following his win at UFC 219 on Sunday (NZ time).

"If I can get a quick turnaround and jump on Perth I'll be all over it," Hooker told Newshub prior to departing to Las Vegas last week.

"Give me six weeks, that's a lifetime. Two training camps for one fight? That's a blessing. You don't know how hard these things are."

UFC 221 will take place at Perth Arena on Sunday, February 11.

Newshub.