UFC officials announced that former Strikeforce lightweight champion Gilbert Melendez will drop to featherweight and fight Jeremy Stephens at UFC 215 on September 9th in Edmonton.
Melendez (22-6) hasn’t competed since a July 2016 loss to Edson Barboza, which dropped his UFC record to 1-4. The 35-year-old was signed to the UFC while riding a seven-fight win streak.
Stephens (25-14) has lost three of his last four fights, with his lone win coming against former bantamweight champion Renan Barao last year at UFC Fight Night 88. The Alliance MMA standout will look to avoid three straight losses for the first time since 2012.
Here’s an updated look at the card…
Francis Ngannou vs. Junior Dos Santos
Ilir Latifi vs. Tyson Pedro
Henry Cejudo vs. Wilson Reis
Rick Glenn vs. Gavin Tucker
Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Sarah Moras
Arjan Bhullar vs. Luis Henrique
Gilbert Melendez vs. Jeremy Stephens
UFC 213 Embedded – Episode 3
