Nikolas Motta vs. Maheshate set for UFC Macau on Nov. 23

A new fight has been added to the upcoming UFC Macau card as Nikolas Motta faces off with Maheshate as part of the promotion’s return to China on Nov. 23.

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Wednesday with bout agreements issued in the lightweight matchup.

Motta, a five-fight veteran of the UFC, returns to action after scoring an impressive finish over highly-touted prospect Tom Nolan in just 63 seconds back in January. That victory brought Motta’s UFC record to 2-2 with one no-contest along the way.

He’ll attempt to score back-to-back wins for the first time since joining the UFC roster when he meets Maheshate, who gets the chance to fight in his home country when he returns in November.

A Contender Series veteran, Maheshate defeated known finisher Steve Garcia in his UFC debut back in 2022 but then suffered losses in his next two fights. He got back on track with his most recent fight where he defeated Gabriel Benitez in April.

Now Maheshate meets Motta in a lightweight showdown as part of the UFC Macau card headlined by former champions Petr Yan and Deiveson Figueiredo meeting in a key matchup in the bantamweight division.