Austin Vanderford made a name for himself in Bellator and now looks to make it even bigger in the ranks of the UFC.
The husband of former UFC star Paige VanZant, Vanderford (13-3 MMA, 1-1 UFC), will return at UFC Fight Night 266 on Feb. 21 at Toyota Center in Houston when he battles promotional debutant Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani (9-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC).
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Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The bout was first reported by Leo Guimaraes.
Vanderford, 35, debuted in the UFC in February and defeated Nikolay Veretennikov by second-round TKO. He returned in October and was submitted by Ramiz Brahimaj in Round 2. Vanderford entered the promotion as a former Bellator title challenger who compiled a 5-2 record under that banner from February 2019 to August 2022.
Lebosnoyani, 26, has been on the UFC radar for a while but finally broke through when he violently knocked out Jack Congdon on Dana White’s Contender Series in September. The win extended his streak to four.
The UFC Fight Night 266 results include:
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Serghei Spivac vs. Ante Delija
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Alibi Idiris vs. Ode Osbourne
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Michel Pereira vs. Zach Reese
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Alden Coria vs. Luis Gurule
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Seok Hyeon Ko vs. Jacobe Smith
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Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani vs. Austin Vanderford
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This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Austin Vanderford booked for third UFC bout vs. violent newcomer
