Ex-LFC champ Peterson signs with UFC, will debut on Austin card
Steven Peterson has finally made it to the big show.
The former Legacy Fighting Championship bantamweight champion announced Wednesday on Instagram he's inked a four-fight deal with the UFC, adding he'll debut on Feb. 18 in Austin against a yet-to-be-determined opponent.
According to James Lynch - who first reported the signing - Peterson will make his maiden voyage to the Octagon as a featherweight.
The 27-year-old has competed under the LFC and LFA banners for the bulk of his 22-fight career, submitting Manny Vasquez to win LFC's bantamweight crown in 2016 before dropping it to current Bellator contender Leandro Higo by unanimous decision last January. He vied for a UFC roster spot in the penultimate installment of Dana White's Tuesday Night Contender Series this summer, and while he dropped a razor-close split verdict to Benito Lopez, he earned his way to the top promotion with a second-round knockout of Dustin Winter in his return to featherweight at LFA 28 last month.
He debuts in his home state at UFC Fight Night 126, where Donald Cerrone meets Yancy Medeiros in the welterweight main event.