A featherweight showdown between Jeremy Stephens and highly touted prospect Zabit Magomedsharipov has been added to the upcoming UFC 235 card on March 2 in Las Vegas.
UFC officials announced the matchup on Tuesday.
CANNOT WAIT!@LiLHeathenMMA matches up with @Zabeast_MMA at #UFC235 in Las Vegas! pic.twitter.com/ofJtjmYhbh
— UFC (@ufc) December 18, 2018
Magomedsharipov has been talked about as a potential future champion in the featherweight division after first arriving in the UFC last year.
Hailing from Dagestan, Magomedsharipov has amassed a 16-1 record overall including four wins in the UFC with three of those victories coming by way of submission.
As dominant as he’s been, this will definitely be the stiffest test of Magomedsharipov’s UFC career.
Stephens comes into the fight with a wealth of experience while competing against the elite 145-pound fighters in the UFC.
The veteran knockout artist has gone 3-1 his past four fights including a pair of brutal finishes against Doo Ho Choi and Josh Emmett. In his most recent bout, Stephens fell to former featherweight champion Jose Aldo but not before he gave the legendary Brazilian everything he could handle in a four minute blitz between the two fighters.
Now Stephens will look to begin his climb back up the ladder in the featherweight division while Magomedsharipov attempts to get a high profile win over a top 10 fighter for the first time in his career.
Stephen vs. Magomedsharipov is the latest addition to the growing UFC 235 lineup with a main event for the card still to be determined.
