Top women bantamweights reportedly set to face off at UFC London in July

The UFC is all set to return to London on July 22. While it’s now been confirmed that the event will be a Fight Night rather than a pay-per-view card, fans in the UK will no doubt snatch up tickets as soon as they go on sale.

The upcoming event in London does not have a confirmed headliner as of the time of writing, but the card is slowly beginning to fill up.

Two lightweight bouts, Yanal Ashmouz vs. Chris Duncan and Fares Ziam vs. Jai Herbert have been announced, while a flyweight bout between Molly McCann and Julija Stoliarenko was added last month.

Now, a fourth bout has reportedly been added to the card. According to Sebastian Vendel-Martinez, Pannie Kianzad will take on Ketlen Vieira in a clash that is likely to take place at 135 lbs.

This bout could prove to be a key clash in the women’s bantamweight division. Both women are ranked in the top ten at 135lbs, with Vieira sitting at No.4, and Kianzad just three spots below her at No.7.

Vieira’s last fight saw her suffer a split decision loss to Raquel Pennington, while Kianzad is coming off a win over fellow Swedish fighter Lina Lansberg. The Ultimate Fighter 28 runner-up has won five of her last six bouts, with the only loss coming to Pennington.

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UFC London: What happened the last time the octagon hit the UK?

The UFC’s last visit to London took place on March 18 and was widely considered one of the biggest events of 2023 thus far.

UFC 286 saw current welterweight champion Leon Edwards, who hails from Birmingham, England, defeat former titleholder Kamaru Usman in their highly-anticipated trilogy match. ‘Rocky’ claimed victory via majority decision.

Elsewhere on the card, Justin Gaethje defeated Rafael Fiziev in a wild clash that won both men a $50k bonus for the ‘Fight of the Night’, while Gunnar Nelson and Jake Hadley also claimed bonuses for their respective victories.

Other big winners on the night included Marvin Vettori, Jack Shore, and Muhammad Mokaev.

The promotion was initially hoping that Edwards could headline the upcoming London show against top contender Colby Covington, with the event tentatively being considered UFC 291. However, ‘Rocky’ has since delayed the bout, which is now expected to happen in October.