Diyar Nurgozhay vs Alik Lorenz booked for UFC Qatar light heavyweight bout

Diyar Nurgozhay and Alik Lorenz are set to meet in a light heavyweight bout at UFC Fight Night 294 on Saturday, November 21, at Ali Bin Hamad al-Attiyah Arena in Al Rayyan, Qatar, multiple sources told MMA Junkie on Thursday, October 15.

The three-round contest adds another 205-pound matchup to a stacked UFC Qatar card. Nurgozhay (12-2 MMA, 2-2 UFC) enters on a two-fight winning streak, while Lorenz (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will make his Octagon debut after earning a UFC contract on Dana White's Contender Series in August.

Nurgozhay looking to build on rebound

Nurgozhay, a 29-year-old from Kazakhstan, needed time to find his footing in the UFC after dropping his first two Octagon appearances. He has since won back-to-back fights, including a first-round TKO of Bruno Lopes at 4:59 on August 8 at UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas, according to UFC.com and fight records.

MMA Junkie reported that the pair of victories put the Kazakhstani back on track after those early setbacks. At 6-foot-2 with a 77.5-inch reach, Nurgozhay brings Octagon experience into a matchup against a debuting opponent on foreign soil.

Lorenz debuts after Contender Series KO

Lorenz earned his UFC contract with a first-round knockout of Mahamed Aly at Dana White's Contender Series Season 10, Week 2 on August 18, according to UFC.com. The 29-year-old from Davenport, United States, stands 6-foot-2 with a 77.5-inch reach per his UFC athlete profile.

MMA Junkie noted that Lorenz will be looking to win his UFC debut on foreign land. His Contender Series finish was the highlight that convinced the promotion to bring him onto the roster this year.

UFC Qatar card continues to fill out

The Nurgozhay vs Lorenz booking joins an already deep UFC Fight Night 294 lineup that includes Jiri Prochazka vs Navajo Stirling, Aljamain Sterling vs Kevin Vallejos, Dan Hooker vs Brian Ortega, Asu Almabayev vs Kyoji Horiguchi, and Jared Cannonier vs Ikram Aliskerov, among others, per MMA Junkie's updated card list.

UFC Fight Night 294 is scheduled for November 21 in Qatar. No further details on the bout order for Nurgozhay vs Lorenz were announced with Thursday's report.