Tuesday, May 10, 2011
by Mike Whitman sherdog.com
Jonathan Brookins has been forced to withdraw from his lightweight bout with Jeremy Stephens at “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 13 Finale. Stepping in for the “TUF 12” winner will be former WEC talent Daniel Downes.
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.
Source: http://www.sherdog.com/news/news/Brooki ... nale-32249