The cavalcade of big match-ups continues to pile on the end-of-year schedule, as the UFC announced Monday an important women’s strawweight bout between former Invicta FC champion Michelle Waterson and top-five ranked contender Tecia Torres for Dec. 12 at UFC 194.
The fight represents a major step-up in competition for Waterson (13-4), a 29-year-old Jackson-Winkeljohn product who until recently reigned as Invicta FC’s atomweight champion.
Waterson, who captured the title in 2013 with an electric victory over Jessica Penne, shifted up to 115 pounds for her UFC debut in July and made easy work of Angela Magana, dispatching the TUF 20 veteran with a third-round rear-naked choke at the TUF 21 Finale.
She’ll now meet Torres (6-0), an undefeated 26-year-old who rebounded from a disappointing run on TUF 20 to pick up back-to-back decision wins over Magana and Angela Hill inside the Octagon.
Though she’s short on experience, Torres’ hit list includes some impressive names from the UFC’s strawweight rankings, highlighted by decisions over Paige VanZant, Felice Herrig, and former title challenger Rose Namajunas.
UFC 194 takes place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV. The event is headlined by two title fights: Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor to unify the UFC featherweight title, and Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold for the middleweight strap.
An updated UFC 194 fight card can be seen below.
- Jose Aldo vs. Conor McGregor
- Chris Weidman vs. Luke Rockhold
- Yoel Romero vs. Ronaldo Souza
- Tecia Torres vs. Michelle Waterson
- John Makdessi vs. Yancy Medeiros
- Warlley Alves vs. Colby Covington
- Court McGee vs. Marcio Alexandre Jr.
- Kevin Lee vs. Leonardo Santos
- Magomed Mustafaev vs. Joe Proctor