As first reported earlier this month, top-five flyweight Lisa Ward will make her Bellator Fighting Championships debut on June 17th when she faces fellow Bellator newcomer Stephanie “Macaquinha” Frausto. The promotion officially confirmed the Bellator 22 bout with MMARising.com today.

Frausto gives up a considerable amount of experience to the world-travelled Ward, who will be part of the Bellator 115-pound women’s tournament later this year. However, Frausto has fought three times this year, while Ward will be competing for the first time since a June 2009 loss to Miku Matsumoto.

Ward (12-5-0) is one of the top grapplers in the lighter women’s weight classes and holds eight victories by submission, including an impressive 2006 win over Matsumoto in the pair’s first meeting. She holds other notable wins over rising divisional star Jessica “Jag” Aguilar and former Smackgirl prospect Ayumi “Edge” Saito. Ward enters the bout with Frausto with a 14-fight edge in professional fight experience.

Frausto (2-1-0) has yet to face anyone near the calibre of opposition that Ward will bring to the table and will take a huge step up in competition on June 17th. The younger sister of Strikeforce veteran Zoila Frausto has competed exclusively for The Warriors Cage in California and is coming off of a first-round stoppage of Elaine Garza in May. Both of Frausto’s wins have come via a form of knockout.

Bellator 22 takes place on June 17th at the Kansas City Power and Light District in Kansas City, Missouri. Frausto’s sister, Zoila, is tentatively set to face British star Rosi Sexton at Bellator 23, but that fight has not yet been signed and Bellator could not officially confirm the bout at this time.

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(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)