Another fun bout has been added to the UFC’s big International Fight Week event.
Dennis Bermudez will meet Jeremy Stephens in an important featherweight matchup at UFC 189 on July 11 in Las Vegas, the UFC announced Monday. International Fight Week goes from July 7-12 and UFC 189 is the crown jewel of the annual extravaganza.
Bermudez (14-3) was on a seven-fight winning streak and closing in on a title shot before being upended by Ricardo Lamas via first-round submission at UFC 180 last November. The Ultimate Fighter 14 alum owns notable wins over Max Holloway and Clay Guida. Bermudez, 28, is a dominant wrestler and trains out of Bellmore Kickboxing in Long Island, N.Y.
Stephens (23-11) is one of the hardest hitting fighters in the division, but he’s coming off two straight losses. Stephens fell to Charles Oliveira by unanimous decision in December and, before that, Cub Swanson via the same fate in the main event of UFC Fight Night 44 last June. The 28-year-old slugger out of Alliance MMA will look to get back on track against Bermudez.
UFC 189 will be headlined by a featherweight title fight between champion Jose Aldo and Conor McGregor. The co-main event features welterweight champion Robbie Lawler defending his belt against Rory MacDonald. UFC 189 is expected to be the promotion’s biggest card of the year, with president Dana White predicting a $7 million gate at MGM Grand.