Benavidez vs. Johnson Flyweight Title Bout, Stann vs. Bisping Booked For UFC 152

A pair of pivotal bouts have been added to September's UFC 152 as Joseph Benavidez (16-2) meets Demetrious Johnson (15-2-1) to crown the promotion's first-ever flyweight champion, while world-ranked middleweights go to battle as Michael Bisping (22-4) takes on Brian Stann (12-4). 


UFC officials announced the pair of fights late Friday.


UFC 152 takes place on September 22 at Toronto's Air Canada Centre and is headlined by a welterweight tilt between former champion B.J. Penn and rising star Rory MacDonald. 


Benavidez is currently riding a four-fight win streak, including a perfect 3-0 record under the UFC banner. After a pair of decision wins over Ian Loveland and Eddie Wineland last year, the WEC veteran made the drop to 125-pounds to compete in the promotion's four-man flyweight tournament to crown the division's first champ. In has first bout at the new weight, Benavidez needed just 11 seconds into the second round to stop Yasuhiro Urushitani last March.


Johnson, meanwhile, punched his ticket to a title shot after earning a unanimous decision over Ian McCall last month. In the pair's first meeting last March, a critical judging error found the bout to be a draw after it was originally announced that Johnson had earned the majority draw. 


Bisping will look to bounce back from defeat in his last outing after coming up short to former title contender Chael Sonnen in a close-fought decision. Prior to the loss, the British standout put together four consecutive victories, including back-to-back stoppages of Jorge Rivera and Jason "Mayhem" Miller. 


Stann recently scored his fourth victory in five outings after knocking out Alessio Sakara in vicious fashion last April. A submission loss to Chael Sonnen stands as his only loss since dropping to 185-pounds, having bested the likes of Chris Leben and Jorge Santiago.