Strikeforce 145-pound competitor Julia “The Jewel” Budd will be part of the first professional women’s mixed martial arts bout in the province of Ontario. The Muay Thai standout faces Ottawa’s Anna Barone in a featured matchup at JEG: “MMA Live 1” on May 19th in London, Ontario, Canada.

The event will be the first card promoted by the Jones Entertainment Group, which has plans to return to Ontario in July. Budd last competed on January 7th, but suffered a quick knockout loss at the hands of Amanda “Lioness of the Ring” Nunes. The B.C. native will look to rebound against Barone.

Budd (1-1-0) first burst onto the MMA scene last October with an impressive stoppage victory over then-unbeaten contender Shana “Rock Solid” Olsen at Strikeforce Challengers 11. Fans immediately took notice of Budd, who was the lone woman to ever defeat Gina “Conviction” Carano in Muay Thai action. Strikeforce then matched Budd up against Nunes, a fast-rising star from Brazil, but Budd was knocked out in just 14 seconds.

With the 145-pound female ranks still relatively sparse, and the future of women’s MMA in Strikeforce uncertain after the promotion’s recent acquisition by Forza, LLC, Budd will return to her native Canada to face Barone, who is also coming off of a loss.

Barone (1-2-0) has thus far competed exclusively for the Wreck MMA promotion in Gatineau, Québec, but will finally have an opportunity to fight in front of family and friends in her home province of Ontario. After losing her December 2009 debut in just 13 seconds, a result oddly similar to Budd’s January loss, Barone rebounded with a second-round knockout in April. She most recently dropped a Unanimous Decision to Tannaya Hantelman in August, but could make a big statement with an upset of Budd.

Jones Entertainment Group: “MMA Live 1” will take place on May 19th at the John Labatt Centre in London, Ontario, Canada. The event features a welterweight bout between UFC veteran Karo “The Heat” Parisyan and Canadian prospect Ryan “The Real Deal” Ford. In addition, Marcus “Maximus” Aurelio takes on Kingston, Ontario’s Cory MacDonald.