In a very popular decision, mixed martial arts (MMA) phenom Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos will make her Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) debut at UFC 198 on May 14. She will fight Bantamweight warrior Leslie Smith at a catchweight of 140 pounds.
It now looks like the promotion is experimenting even further with expanding the women’s divisions. Two former Strawweight contenders, Joanne Calderwood and Valerie Letourneau, will meet at 125 pounds at UFC Fight Night 89 on June 14 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It will be the first female Flyweight bout in UFC history.
While the promotion disclosed that the contest was simply a special occurrence, they are also looking into the possibility of opening up a division in the future. Seeing two of the best at 115 pounds move up in weight and compete is the quickest way to gauge the action before deciding if a new weight class is the best option.
Calderwood (10-1) was scheduled to fight budding superstar Paige VanZant back at UFC Fight Night 80, but an injury forced her out of competition and Rose Namajunas filled in. As one of the more promising European fighters on the women’s roster, the 29-year-old Scotland native packs a lot of potential, whether she finds a permanent home at 125 pounds or not.
As for Letourneau (8-4), she will be looking to rebound after losing a five-round title fight to UFC Strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk back at UFC 193. Putting her name at the front of the line for a potential new division is the quickest way to regain championship determination.
UFC Fight Night 89 will be headlined by a 170-pound clash between top contenders Rory MacDonald and Stephen Thompson.