“The Gentleman” is headed to H-Town.
Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Welterweight Austin Vanderford — husband of Paige VanZant — is set to return to action against Contender Series standout Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani on Sat., Feb. 21, 2026, at UFC Houston inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas.
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Reporter Leo Guimaraes was first to report the booking.
Vanderford (13-3) is coming off the first UFC loss of his career, having been submitted by Ramiz Brahimaj at UFC 320 (watch highlights), a defeat that snapped his two-fight winning streak.
Before that setback, Vanderford made a statement in his UFC debut by dominating Nikolay Veretennikov en route to a second-round ground-and-pound stoppage — followed by a post-fight shove that added a little extra spice (watch highlights).
Now, he’ll look to rebound against one of the more intriguing prospects from Season 9 of Contender Series.
Lebosnoyani (9-2) scored one of the most violent knockouts of the season during Week 4, wobbling Jack Congdon with a head kick before flattening him with a right hook (watch highlights).
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“Mufasa” is riding a four-fight win streak, including three first-round knockouts. While known primarily for his elite grappling, the UFC rookie has clearly been sharpening his hands — something Vanderford will have to respect early.
Here is what UFC Houston looks like now:
Sean Strickland vs. Anthony Hernandez
Ode Osbourne vs. Alibi Idiris
Juliana Miller vs. Carli Judice
Michel Pereira vs. Zachary Reese
Geoff Neal vs. Kevin Holland
Jacobe Smith vs. Ko Seok-hyeon
Luis Gurule vs. Alden Coria
Ante Delija vs. Serghei Spivac
Austin Vanderford vs. Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani
To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.
