Felice Herrig to return at UFC 252

It's only fitting that during the dog days of summer that Felice Herrig returns to the octagon.

Away from the UFC for what will be almost 2 years, Felice Herrig will have her hands full when she comes back. She last fought in October 2018, losing her 2nd in a row to Michelle Waterson. Her loss before that to Karolina Kowalkiewicz were both decisions. That ended a 4 fight win streak that saw her get into the top 15 rankings.

Virna Jandiroba is herself a bulldog. Well, she's actually more like a pitbull. The former Invicta strawweight champion has only suffered the sting of a loss once. That came in her UFC debut against Carla Esparza.

How does Felice Herrig matchup against Virna Jandiroba?

Virna's come forward approach and her skills on the mat make her a threat to all the ranked fighters. A victory for her might land her a fight against someone like Yan Xiaonan before facing the upper echelon fighters.

The 35-year-old Felice Herrig presently sits at 14th in the division. And with the top of the strawweight division pulling away from the pack, this might be her last true run at the title. The physical fitness expert tends to take her fights to the judges score cards. If she finds herself there again, it may put her on a 3 fight skid along with lots of ring rust.

The fight which takes place on UFC 252 below Daniel Cormier vs Stipe Miocic 3 should get a main card slot. Most likely the opener, or at worst the main fight on the preliminary card. The only other bouts announced as of right now are:

Ion Cutelaba versus Magomed Ankalaev and another strawweight fight between Ashley Yoder and Livia Renata Souza. The rematch between light heavyweights comes on the heels of the controversial Magomed win.