The promotion announced the news Tuesday afternoon, confirming that the bout has been agreed to verbally. Headlined by a pivotal lightweight confrontation between Clay Guida and WEC lightweight champion Anthony Pettis, the event goes down June 4 at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas.
Representing the Roufusport camp, Downes has been beaten only once as a professional. After falling to Chris Horodecki in his June WEC debut, “Danny Boy” rebounded with a unanimous decision over Tiequan Zhang at WEC 53 in December. Most recently, the Illinois native was victorious in a bout outside of the Zuffa umbrella, submitting Tory Bogguess with a first-round triangle choke on May 6.
Known for his punching power, Stephens has won three of his last four contests inside the Octagon. The 24-year-old “Lil’ Heathen” kicked off 2010 with a victory, edging out fellow striker Sam Stout at UFC 113. Stephens would find himself in another close fight at UFC 119, coming up on the short end of a split verdict against Melvin Guillard. Most recently, Stephens earned “Knockout of the Night” honors at UFC 125 on Jan. 1, notching a third-round knockout of Marcus Davis.
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