UFC 228 — which is set to go down from inside American Airlines Center on Sept. 8, 2018 in Dallas, Texas — is starting to take shape as the promotion announced a slew of intriguing fights for the pay-per-view (PPV) event.
Chief among them is a women’s flyweight title fight that will see division champion Nicco Montano defend her belt for the first time against former bantamweight title contender, Valentina Shevchenko.
Montano became the promotion’s first-ever women’s flyweight champion after running through The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) gauntlet. As for Shevchenko, she made good on her 115-pound debut earlier this year by absolutely demolishing Priscila Cachoeira.
Also confirmed is an interesting 135-pound showdown between John Dodson and Jimmie Rivera, while Carla Esparza returns to action to face Tatiana Suarez. Furthermore, a rumored Featherweight bout between Yair Rodriguez and Zabit Magomedsharipov, as well as a discussed fight between Jessica Andrade vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz, have been confirmed.
A headlining bout has yet-to-be announced, though it’s safe to assume Montano vs Shevchenko will be pegged with co-headlining duties. Meanwhile, Cris Cyborg previously threw her name in the hat to spearhead the event in “Big D.”
Expect more fight card announcements in the coming weeks, if not days.