UFC 216 gets 7 bouts, including Evan Dunham vs. Beneil Dariush, Brad Tavares vs. Thales Leites

The UFC has added seven new bouts to UFC 216, including lightweight and middleweight showdowns with implications in the rankings.

Today, the promotion announced that lightweight standouts Evan Dunham (18-6 MMA, 11-6 UFC) and Beneil Dariush (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) will face off, as will middleweights Brad Tavares (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and one-time title challenger Thales Leites (27-7 MMA, 12-6 UFC).

UFC 216 take place Oct. 7 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs live on pay-per-view following prelims on FS1 and UFC Fight Pass.

Also confirmed for the fall card: a heavyweight clash featuring Walt Harris (9-5 MMA, 2-4 UFC) vs. Mark Godbeer (12-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC); a lightweight fight between Lando Vannata (9-2 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and Abel Trujillo (15-7 MMA, 7-2 UFC); a previously reported lightweight contest between Will Brooks (18-3 MMA, 1-2 UFC) and Nik Lentz (27-8-2 MMA, 11-5-1 UFC); and a pair of flyweight bouts, John Moraga (17-6 MMA, 6-5 UFC) vs. Magomed Bibulatov (14-0 MMA, 1-0 UFC) and Matt Schnell (9-4 MMA, 0-2 UFC) vs. Marco Beltran (8-5 MMA, 3-2 UFC).

Dunham, on a four-fight win streak, will look to break into the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA lightweight rankings, where Dariush stands at No. 10. Dariush, meanwhile, is looking to rebound from a knockout loss to No. 6 ranked Edson Barboza in his previous outing. Dunham previously expressed interest in a bout with Dariush.

Tavares, an honorable mention in the middleweight rankings has won his past two bouts and hopes to break into the top 15 with a win over No. 13 Leites, who recently outpointed Sam Alvey.

Heavyweight Harris is on the upswing with back-to-back knockout wins in bouts against Chase Sherman and Cyril Asker, respectively. Godbeer most recently outpointed Daniel Spitz, upping his UFC record to 1-1 after a debut loss to Justin Ledet.

Lightweight Vannata is looking to rebound after a decision loss to David Teymur that sapped his momentum after a spectacular wheel-kick knockout of John Makdessi this past December. Trujillo also needs a boost after a submission loss to James Vick, which snapped a three-fight win streak.

Lightweight Lentz mostly suffered a decision loss to Islam Makhachev, which brought his first loss since returning to the lightweight division from featherweight. Brooks has lost back-to-back fights in bouts against Alex Oliveira and Charles Oliveira, respectively.

One-time flyweight title challenger Moraga recently got back in the win column with a decision over Ashkan Mokhtarian in June, while Bibulatov puts his unbeaten record to the test after a debut decision against Jenel Lausa.

Flyweight Schnell is in dire need of a win after losses against Rob Font and Hector Sandoval in his first two UFC appearances. Beltran, meanwhile, has hit the skids with back-to-back losses after a trio of wins.

With the additions, the UFC 216 lineup now includes:

• Evan Dunham vs. Beneil Dariush
• Brad Tavares vs. Thales Leites
• Walt Harris vs. Mark Godbeer
• Lando Vannata vs. Abel Trujillo
• Nik Lentz vs. Will Brooks
• John Moraga vs. Magomed Bibulatov
• Matt Schnell vs. Marco Beltran

For more on UFC 216, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.