Photo by Mike Roach/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images
Apologies to all those Bay Area Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fans who thought the world’s largest mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion was headed to “Golden Gate City” for the first time ever. Nope, UFC Fight Night 161 (a.k.a. UFC on ESPN+ 19) is bound for Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla., on Oct. 12, 2019, featuring a pivotal women’s Strawweight fight between top-ranked contenders, Joanna Jedrzejczyk (No. 4) vs. Michelle Waterson (No. 7), in the main event of the evening.
UFC made the announcement earlier this afternoon via social media. It will mark the promotion’s third-ever visit to “Suitcase City,” the most recent of which was UFC on FOX 19: “Teixeira vs. Evans” more than three years ago.
Jedrzejczyk (15-3) is trying to regain her footing after coming upon short in her last three title fights, including an unsuccessful trip up to Flyweight, where she was summarily expelled by 125-pound champion, Valentina Shevchenko. Indeed, it’s a super important fight for the former champion, who could actually earn yet another title shot with a win over “Karate Hottie.”
Waterson (17-6), meanwhile, is the winner of three straight after her commanding performance against former title contender, Karolina Kowalkiewicz, back in March. The 33- year-old stands at 5-2 inside the Octagon, with her two losses coming to Rose Namajunas and Tecia Torres.
Additional UFC Fight Night 161 bouts at the time of this writing include:
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Amanda Ribas
- Tim Elliott vs. Deiveson Figueiredo
- Ryan Spann vs. Devin Clark
To check out the upcoming schedule of UFC events click here.