Jessica-Rose Clark will make her return to the octagon after almost an entire year on the sidelines when she welcomes Brazilian prospect Tainara Lisboa into the UFC on May 13.
The Australian veteran has spent over half a decade competing in the UFC and, despite not having the best record, she has some big-name wins under her belt. After breaking into the promotion in 2017, the now 35-year-old scored wins over Bec Rawlings and Paige VanZant, two respectable names in women's MMA.
As announced on social media, Jessica-Rose Clark will make her 9th walk into the octagon as she collides with newcomer Tainara Lisboa in a UFC Fight Night set to commence in three months' time.
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'Thai Panter' earned her way into the UFC on the back of an impressive three-fight win streak throughout a number of different MMA promotions. The South American knows how to put a stop to fights as she has managed to find a finish in each of her five wins throughout her career.
Though her background in mixed martial arts isn't extensive, the women's bantamweight competitor did debut in the sport against fellow Brazilian and UFC alum Norma Dumont.
Despite being rather unknown, having only fought 7 times in the cage, the 31-year-old does have a background in combat sports. Although she came up short, Lisboa shared the ring with women's flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko in a Muay Thai bout at Inka FC 8 back in 2010.
What happened to Jessica-Rose Clark last time out?
Jessica-Rose Clark finds herself enduring a two-fight losing streak and has a record of 4-4 since joining the UFC, but why did she spend almost an entire year away from the octagon?
Although there are a number of different factors as to why the vet spent some time away from competing, the most obvious is the injury she suffered during her most recent appearance in the cage.
Looking to get back into the winner's column after succumbing to a first-round submission loss against Stephanie Egger, Clark was matched up against an arguably more dangerous jiu-jitsu specialist in Julija Stoliarenko.
Despite being on a three-fight losing streak and on the verge of being released by the company, the Lithuanian locked up an armbar against her opponent and caused a sickening injury to the joint just 40 seconds into their bout.