Zabit Magomedsharipov is moving on from a Yair Rodriguez fight, at least for the time being. Instead, he will be taking on a much higher ranked opponent at UFC 235 in Las Vegas Nevada in Jeremy Stephens (#6), who is currently ranked six spots higher than Rodirguez (#12). The UFC officially announced the bout Tuesday afternoon.
Jeremy Stephens will be looking to regain momentum after a setback in his latest fight against José Aldo in July, which saw Stephens lose the fight to Aldo via TKO following a vicious shot to the body. Prior to that loss, Stephens had rallied together a three-fight win streak over Gilbert Melendez, Doo Ho Choi, and Josh Emmett. A victory over Magomedhsaripov would make it four wins in the last five and could earn Stephens another opportunity at a top-five opponent for the 11-year UFC veteran.
Zabit Magomedsharipov owns an impressive 16-1 record and is currently on a 12-fight win streak. Since making his UFC debut in the fall of 2017, Magomedsharipov has done nothing but amaze audiences with his flashy, unpredictable maneuvers and well-rounded arsenal that no opponent has had an answer for to date. Magomedsharipov’s most recent lopsided victory occurred over Brandon Davis at UFC 228, which resulted in a modified kneebar submission.
Both men have taken to social media to address the fight, with Stephens stating that he welcomes the challenge of fighting Magomedsharipov, to which Magomedsharipov responded with a “See you soon” caption on Instagram beneath a picture of the two fighters.
UFC 235 takes place from the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas Nevada on March 2nd, 2019. The card does not currently have a main event announced but is rumored to feature a welterweight title bout.
Who do you believe will be victorious at UFC 235? Jeremy Stephens or Zabit Magomedhsaripov?
