Two fights added to UFC 240

MMAfighting.com

Erik Koch is set to compete in his third weight class for the UFC.

Officials announced Tuesday that Koch (15-6) will make his debut at 170 pounds when he fights Kyle Stewart (11-2) at UFC 240 on July 27 at Rogers Place in Edmonton, Alberta. A flyweight bout between Lauren Murphy (10-4) and Mara Romero Borella (12-5, 2 NC) was also made official.

The Koch-Stewart bout was initially reported by Farah Hannoun.

This will be Koch’s first fight since January 2018. A former featherweight standout in the World Extreme Cagefighting promotion, “New Breed” was twice booked to fight then-UFC champion Jose Aldo back in 2012 only to see both opportunities spoiled by injury (first to Koch, then to Aldo). Koch would instead go on to lose five of his next seven fights while further injuries limited his activity. He most recently competed at 155 pounds, losing to Bobby Green by unanimous decision at UFC on FOX 27.

Stewart was unsuccessful in his UFC debut in January, losing to Chance Rencountre by first-round submission. Prior to that, Stewart had won 11 of his first 12 pro bouts including wins for the Legacy Fighting Alliance and Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series.

Murphy is coming off of a unanimous decision loss to Ultimate Fighter 26 housemate Sijara Eubanks. She is 2-4 competing for the UFC at 125 and 135 pounds.

Borella has won seven of her last eight fights (excluding one no contest). In three UFC appearances, she has sandwiched a unanimous decision loss to Katlyn Chookagian with wins over Taila Santos and Kalindra Faria.

UFC 240 will be headlined by a featherweight title bout between champion Max Holloway and challenger Frankie Edgar. See the updated card below (bout order to be determined):

Max Holloway vs. Frankie Edgar

Gillian Robertson vs. Sarah Frota

Alexandre Pantoja vs. Deiveson Figueiredo

Viviane Araujo vs. Alexis Davis

Erik Koch vs. Kyle Stewart

Lauren Murphy vs. Mara Romero Borella