Nasrat Haqparast Steps Up to Face Don Madge at UFC Fight Night 187 on March 13

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After losing a fight on weigh-in day in January, Nasrat Haqparast is making a quick turnaround to compete in March.

On Wednesday night, Haqparast (12-3) posted on Twitter that he had fight news, and that he would be back in the Octagon in less than a month. ESPN later clarified, according to Haqparast’s manager Ali Abdelaziz, that he would be stepping in to face Don Madge (9-3-1) at UFC Fight Night 187 on March 13. Haqparast confirmed the lightweight booking on Thursday on his Instagram.

Madge was originally slated to face Guram Kutateladze at this event, but the Georgian pulled put due to a self-reported knee injury. The South African will be competing for the first time since September 2019, when he took a unanimous verdict against Fares Ziam. A stalwart of the Extreme Fighting Championship organization in South Africa, Madge has posted a finish rate of 89 percent, with his first career decision win against the aforementioned Ziam.

Haqparast has competed twice while Madge has been away, suffering the first knockout loss of his career to Drew Dober and bouncing back months later to win a decision over Alex Munoz. The Tristar Gym fighter out of Afghanistan has his own impressive finish rate, with 75 percent of his victories coming by knockout. His first eight career wins all came by knockout, with the first six in the opening round.

UFC Fight Night 187 goes down on March 13 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, with a welterweight headliner on top between Leon Edwards and Khamzat Chimaev. Other major matchups on the card include a featherweight clash between Dan Ige and Ryan Hall, as well as a middleweight scrap between Eryk Anders and Darren Stewart.