A heavyweight contest between Englishman Phil De Fries and Ivan Shtyrkov is set to take place in Russia on May 5.
De Fries announced the bout on Facebook.
De Fries has confirmed to The Sprawl that the fight will take place on a Titov Boxing show.
The 30-year-old has a professional record of 12-5, with 1 No Contest. With a record of 7-0, he made his UFC debut, and defeated Rob Broughton via Unanimous Decision. His second bout came against now UFC Heavyweight Champion Stipe Miocic; “S11” was stopped in under one minute. He rebounded with a win over Oli Thompson before losing two straight to Todd Duffee and Matt Mitrione. Following that stint, he was released from the promotion and has since gone 3-2.
Shtyrkov (9-0) engaged in one of the greatest heavyweight fights you will ever set your eyes last year, when he defeated UFC veteran Antonio “Bigfoot” Silva via Unanimous Decision. Prior to that, the Russian had gone 7-0 with seven straight finishes. In his last two fights, he has gone to the judges scorecards both times, firstly against the aforementioned Bigfoot, and most recently against Rodney Wallace.
This story will be updated with more information as it comes in.
