A women’s bantamweight showdown pitting former champion Holly Holm
against “The Ultimate Fighter 18” winner Julianna
Pena is set for UFC
Fight Night on May 8.
ESPN was first to report the booking. The event does not yet
have an official location, and Holm vs. Pena is not expected to
serve as the evening’s headliner. The card also includes a clash
between Donald
Cerrone and Diego
Sanchez.
The 39-year-old Holm is coming off an impressive five-round verdict
over Mexican contender Irene
Aldana in the UFC on ESPN 16 main event on Oct. 3. The
Jackson-Wink MMA standout has won three of her last four Octagon
appearances, also notching triumphs over former 135-pound title
challenger Raquel
Pennington and current featherweight No. 1 contender Megan
Anderson.
Pena, meanwhile, has won six of her eight promotional appearances,
with her only defeats coming at the hands of ex-featherweight queen
Germaine
de Randamie and reigning 125-pound title holder Valentina
Shevchenko. In her last outing, “The Venezuelan Vixen”
submitted Olympic silver medalist Sara McMann
in the third round of their matchup at UFC 257.