Rising prospect Zabit Magomedsharipov is getting a top-ten opponent for his next fight.
The UFC 235 fight card is beginning to shape up. After the recent announcement of the welterweight bout between Diego Sanchez and Mickey Gall, a new featherweight matchup is said to be on the verge of being made official.
A recent report by ESPN revealed that a fight between rising prospect Zabit Magomedsharipov and number six-ranked 145-pounder Jeremy Stephens has not yet been finalized, but is “moving in the right direction.”
The 27-year-old Zabit (16-3, with 13 wins by stoppage), is currently 4-0 in the UFC since he made his debut in 2017. Three of those wins earned him Performance of the Night and Fight of the Night bonuses.
He last saw action at UFC 228 in September, where submitted Brandon Davis in the second round via a kneebar.
Stephens (28-15, with 21 wins by stoppage), meanwhile, was on a three-fight win streak, before running into former champion Jose Aldo last July. He lost via first-round TKO.
UFC 235 takes place on March 2nd in Las Vegas. No headliner fight has been finalized just yet, but another announced bout is the rescheduled UFC debut of Ben Askren, who takes on former welterweight champion Robbie Lawler.