The UFC ends the calendar year with a bang as welterweights Ian Machado Garry and Joaquin Buckley headline UFC Fight Night on December 14 at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

The announcement of a fight between up-and-coming welterweights comes a day after welterweight champion Belal Muhammad was forced to forfeit his first title defense against undefeated Shavkat Rakhmonov at UFC 310 in Las Vegas on December 7. There has been no announcement as to whether the UFC will keep Rakhmonov on the card. The news that Buckley and Garry will face each other a week later rules out the possibility of either fighter facing Rakhmonov in a potential interim title fight.

Garry (15-0) is ranked as the No. 7 welterweight by the UFC. Garry, who fights out of Dublin, Ireland, is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Michael “Venom” Page in his last outing at UFC 303. Garry has called for a fight against Rakhmonov, but it appears the UFC will keep undefeated fighters a little longer apart.

Buckley (20-6) is currently ranked as the No. 9 welterweight by the UFC. He has won five straight fights since returning to the 170-pound weight class in May 2023. Fighting in St. Louis, Missouri, Buckley finally stamped his contender status with a knockout victory over former title challenger Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson at UFC 307 in October.