In the second of this weekend’s double-header, the Ultimate Fighting Championship will host its debut show in the early hours of Sunday morning live from the AT&T Center, in San Antonio, Texas.
In the main event of UFC Fight Night 44, No.5 ranked UFC featherweight Cub Swanson (20-5) takes on No.11 ranked power puncher Jeremy “Lil Heathen” Stephens (23-9) in an intriguing encounter that could have title implications for the winner.
Swanson, who makes his UFC return after almost a year on the side lines, goes into the bout off the back of 3rd round TKO victory against Dennis Siver at UFC 162 and will look to extend his winning run to 6 in a row with a win over the hard hitting Stephens.
His opponent Stephens comes into this fight a man reborn since making the move down to 145lbs winning 3 fights on bounce. This change of fortune has halted a 3 fight skid while competing at lightweight and saw him lose to current UFC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis as well as Donald Cerrone and Yves Edwards.
Since making the trip down to featherweight the man called “Lil Heathen” has gone on a run that has seen him defeats the likes Estevan Payan, Rony Mariano Bezerra and Darren Elkins to thrust him into title contention.
In the co-main event TUF 17 winner Kelvin Gastelum (8-0) takes on Sweden’s Nicholas Musoke (12-2) in a welterweight encounter.
MAIN CARD
Cub Swanson vs. Jeremy Stephens
Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nicholas Musoke
Cezar Ferrerira vs. Andrew Craig
Ricardo Lamas vs. Hacran Dias
Clint Hester vs. Antonio Braga Neto
Joe Ellenberger vs. James Moontasri
PRELIMINARY CARD
Colton Smith vs. Carlos Diego Ferreira
Johnny Bedford vs. Cody Gibson
Marcelo Guimaraes vs. Andy Enz
Ray Borg vs. Shane Howell
Oleksiy Oliynyk vs. Anthony Hamilton
