Jai Herbert to face Khama Worthy in make-or-break fight at UFC Fight Night 196 on October 23

GiveMeSport

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By Tom Ward

Published Oct 6, 2021

The Black Country Banger has his back against the wall, but will this bring the best out of him?

British lightweight Jai Herbert will be back in action later this month in a make-or-break fight against battle-tested veteran Khama Worthy.

UFC officials confirmed to GIVEMESPORT that the two unranked 155-pounders will meet at UFC Fight Night 196 on October 23.

Herbert debuted in the UFC in July 2020 but was beaten by Francisco Trinaldo. He was then submitted by Renato Moicano less than a minute into the second round of their main card bout this past June at UFC Fight: Gane vs Volkov.

Worthy, meanwhile, was last in action in March at UFC 260 in Sin City.

Herbert has experienced a spell of bad luck since he inked a multi-fight deal with the promotion.

Last March, the former Cage Warriors lightweight champion was all set to make his long-awaited debut against Congolese-born British fighter Marc Diakiese at UFC London, but the card was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Instead he finds himself staring down the barrel after two straight losses against elite-level opponents.

Jai Herbert will be welcomed back to the octagon by American Khama Worthy

But 'The Black Country Banger' is no stranger to overcoming adversity and will be hoping he can regain some momentum against Worthy in his bid to get his career back on track.

Teasing the fight announcement, Herbert, 33, posted: "Back out in 3 weeks on UFC Vegas, Oct 23rd! Fight announcement soon!

"Looking for sponsors to help out with costs of flying over my corner team. DM me if your interested, I appreciate all the support I've had so far! This ones do or die!!! #duppytime."

Herbert has called in the help of Leon and Fabian Edwards to help him prepare for his must-win fight against Worthy.

Speaking after his fight with Trinaldo, he told GIVEMESPORT: "It's hard because I've worked all my life to get to this point but I couldn't just leave it at that.

"More than anything, I want to prove that I'm meant to be here.

"The main thing is that I know that I'm good enough to be here. I can beat these guys.

"I want to prove that to myself, not just to others but to myself, I want to prove that I'm meant to be here and I'm good enough to mix it with the best."

UFC Fight Night 196 is expected to take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

The card will be headlined by a high-stakes shootout in the middleweight division between Brazil's Paulo Costa and the Italian maverick Marvin Vettori.