The UFC has booked a fun lightweight matchup for April. MMA Junkie was the first to report yesterday that the promotion was finalizing a lightweight matchup between Jeremy Stephens (28-18, 1 NC) and Drakkar Klose (11-2-1).
The proposed matchup will take place at a UFC Fight Night on April 17th in the APEX. For Jeremy Stephens, the fight marks a return to lightweight for the first time since 2012. Stephens had been a fixture of the featherweight division for about the past eight years.
“Lil Heathen” is actually still ranked inside the top ten of the UFC‘s featherweight division. However, the weight cut has never been easy for Stephens. He has missed weight a couple of times and talked openly about moving back up to lightweight one day.
Now, that day is upon us. Stephens has hit a tough stretch over the last few years. After going on a run at featherweight, the UFC gave him former champion, Jose Aldo. Had Stephens won that fight, he could’ve had a title shot. However, Stephens was finished in the first round.
Starting with the Jose Aldo fight, Stephens is 0-4, 1 NC in his last five appearances inside the octagon. Granted, he’s lost to some of the best that the promotion has to offer. Stephens is ready for a change of scenery and he has a fun dance partner for his return to the UFC‘s lightweight division.
UFC lightweight matchup
If there’s a fighter that’s truly just on the fringe of the UFC lightweight rankings, it’s Drakkar Klose. Since making his debut with the promotion back in 2017, Klose is 5-2 with his only losses coming to David Teymur and Beneil Dariush.
In his last fight, Klose was stopped by Dariush. However, Klose had Dariush hurt bad in the second round. Klose was the one pursuing the finish when he was caught with some shots that backed up him. Ultimately, Dariush found the shot that closed the show.
By the time of this fight, it would have been over a year since we’ve seen Klose in the octagon. Have to imagine he’s been working hard to tighten some things up. If he can pickup the win against Jeremy Stephens, I would say it’s a safe bet to expect him in the UFC rankings.