Jeremy Stephens makes PFL debut vs. Clay Collard on April 20

Jeremy Stephens’ PFL debut is set.

The longtime UFC veteran will square off with fellow striker Clay Collard in a lightweight season opener at 2022 PFL 1, which takes place April 20 at Esports Arena in Arlington, Texas and streams on ESPN+ and ESPN, promotion officials announced Tuesday.

Stephens (28-19-1) parted ways with the UFC in January after a 14-year stint with the company. Following his loss to Mateusz Gamrot in July, Stephens became a free agent and signed with PFL. Stephens, 35, who holds notable knockouts over the likes of former champion Rafael dos Anjos and featherweight contender Josh Emmett, is winless in his past six fights.

Meanwhile, Collard (20-9-1) will look to make another run at the PFL lightweight title. In his first season, Collard kicked off his 2021 campaign with an upset win over former WEC and lightweight champ Anthony Pettis, followed by a win over Joilton Lutterbach. The professional boxer’s season came to an end when he was eliminated in the semifinals by Raush Manfio, who went on to win the tournament.

The 2022 PFL 1 lineup includes:

• Raush Manfio vs. Don Madge
• Anthony Pettis vs. Myles Price
• Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Delan Monte
• Clay Collard vs. Jeremy Stephens
• Josh Silveira vs. Emiliano Sordi
• Olivier Aubin-Mercier vs. opponent TBA
• Teodoras Aukstuolis vs. Marthin Hamlet
• Omari Akhmedov vs. Viktor Pesta
• Bruce Souto vs. Rob Wilkinson
• Alex Martinez vs. Stevie Ray