5 Burning Question That Will Be Answered At UFC 235
Can anyone stop Jon Jones?
On 2 March 2019, the T-Mobile Arena is scheduled to host a mixed martial event that will showcase some of the sport's biggest stars. UFC 235: Jones vs. Smith features two title fights and some undercard bouts worthy of headlining any ESPN Fight Night.
In the main event, UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon 'Bones' Jones is set to take on surging contender Anthony 'Lionheart' Smith. The co-main event features Tyron 'The Chosen One' Woodley putting his title on the line against Kamaru 'The Nigerian Nightmare' Usman —a man whose professional record currently stands at 14-1.
The event also features one of the better undercards in recent memory. Fight fans will get to see the long-awaited UFC debut of outspoken former Bellator champ 'Funky' Ben Askren. The curly-haired grappler will be taking on former UFC welterweight titleholder 'Ruthless' Robbie Lawler.
After losing consecutive bouts to T.J. Dillashaw, Cody 'No Love' Garrabrant looks to get back on track against Pedro 'The Young Punisher' Munhoz.
When the night finally comes to close, and UFC 235 is officially in the book — many compelling questions will be answered.
Fortunately, there is still plenty of time left to take a closer look at the most intriguing storylines heading into this highly anticipated pay-per-view.
5. How Will Zabit Magomedsharipov Fair Against A Top 10 Opponent?
With so many big name fighters competing at UFC 235, the high stakes preliminary bout between Zabit Magomedsharipov and Jeremy Stephens has gotten lost in the shuffle a bit.
Dagestan's Magomedsharipov hasn't lost a fight since 2013 and is a perfect 4-0 in UFC. The submission specialist has wins over lesser-known UFC Featherweights like Brandon Davis and Kyle Bochniak. This upcoming fight will give Magomedsharipov the chance to pad his resume with a win against a top ten featherweight in Stephens —who currently holds the number 6 spot on UFC's official rankings list.
Given that there aren't a ton of compelling matchups for featherweight champ Max Halloway at the moment, a convincing win over a fighter like Stephens would instantly place Magomedsharipov in the title picture.
That being said, the heavy-handed veteran out of out of Des Moines, Iowa, Jeremy Stephens, is a tough out for anyone. After impressive knockout wins over Doo Ho Choi and Josh Emmett, Stephens was defeated (via TKO) by Jose Aldo last July. A loss against the Dagestani prospect would likely end any chance Stephens has of fighting for the title in 2019.
Is Zabit Magomedsharipov a legitimate contender at featherweight, or just a guy who looks good against unranked opponents?
At UFC 235, this question will be answered.