Featherweight prospect Mirsad Bektic will take on veteran Darren Elkins at UFC 209.
Undefeated featherweight prospect Mirsad Bektic has been added to the UFC 209 lineup. UFC officials confirmed to MMAjunkie on Tuesday that Bektic will take on Darren Elkins on the March 4th pay-per-view in Las Vegas, Nevada. There’s no word on whether or not that bout will be part of the night’s main card.
Bektic (11-0) returned from ACL surgery to quickly submit short-notice replacement Russell Doane at UFC 204 last October. It was Bektic’s first fight in more than a year, as a December 2015 matchup with Tatsuya Kawajiri fell through due to the knee injury he’d suffered. The 25-year-old is one of the top prospects in the featherweight division, and he’s a perfect 4-0 in the UFC, with his last two fights (vs. Doane and Lucas Martins) ending by stoppage.
Elkins (21-5) is on a three-fight winning streak, with unanimous decision wins over Robert Whiteford, Chas Skelly, and Godofredo Pepey. The 32-year-old has been part of the UFC’s featherweight division since its creation (as a result of the WEC merger) in 2011. Only Chad Mendes, Hacran Dias, and Jeremy Stephens have been able to defeat him at 145 lbs.
The current UFC rankings have Elkins listed at #12 and Bektic at #13.
UFC 209 does not yet have a main event, but does feature a heavyweight rematch between Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem. A heavyweight bout between Mark Godbeer and Todd Duffee was also added to the lineup today.
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