Former woman’s bantamweight champion Holly Holm is expected to return to the Octagon against Valentina Shevchenko at UFC On FOX 20 on July 23rd in Chicago.
According to the ‘UFC Tonight’ show, Holm Vs Shevchenko will serve as the evening’s main event.
Holm won the 135lb title in November of last year at UFC 193 after shocking the world with a head kick knockout victory against Ronda Rousey.
The 34 year-old former boxing champion then looked to be edging out Miesha Tate in her first title defense at UFC 196 in March, before suffering a fifth round submission loss.
Talk of a money-spinning rematch with Rousey cooled after that, while Holm herself campaigned for an immediate rematch with Tate, but the UFC had other plans for the time being. That being said, a win at UFC On fOX 20 would put ‘The Preachers Daughter’ right back on track for those higher profile match-ups.
In Shevchenko, Holm will be facing a top 10 opponent who’s looking to bounce back after suffering a loss to the division’s current title contender Amanda Nunes.
Shevchenko lost her fight with Nunes by unanimous decision at UFC 196, having made a successful start to her time in the Octagon with a split decision win against Sarah Kaufman back in December of last year.
Overall, the Ukranian fighter holds a 12-2 record heading into what will undoubtedly be the biggest fight of her career to date.
