Talented striker Heather “Hurricane” Clark returns to action for one of her toughest tests to date at Xtreme Fighting Championships 18: “Music City Mayhem” on June 22nd in Nashville, Tennessee. Clark is set to face off against Sofia Bagherdai in a featured 120-pound bout announced today.

Clark debuted for XFC in February against Marianna Kheyfets and fared well until an elbow late in round one damaged Clark’s eye and forced a halt to the bout. She had won four straight prior to the setback. Bagherdai engaged in a competitive battle with Ashley Cummins at Invicta FC 1 this past month.

Clark (4-2-0) rebounded from a decision defeat in her April 2010 pro debut with four straight stoppage victories. The streak included a ten-second Knockout of the Year-winning performance against April Coutino in January 2011 and a second-round TKO of Jennifer “Superstar” Scott three months later. At FCF 49 in October, Clark handed Rumble on the River women’s champion Sarah “Too Sweet” Alpar the first loss of her career. In her XFC debut against Kheyfets, Clark employed a smart game plan that consisted of counter right hooks that prevented Kheyfets from landing anything damaging until late in the round, when a short elbow strike caused Clark’s eye to swell up. The cageside doctor stopped the fight and Clark now looks to bounce back from the disappointing defeat.

Bagherdai (4-2-0) debuted for the all-female Fatal Femmes Fighting promotion in 2007 and fought on all four of its cards. She earned victories in three of her four appearances for FFF, including a notable win over Michelle Ould. Her lone defeat came in a controversial bout with Carina Damm, who was fined and suspended after testing positive for steroids following the fight. Bagherdai fought once more in October 2008 and earned a Unanimous Decision victory before taking a three-year hiatus from the sport. She had planned to compete this past October, but a rib injury delayed her return. Instead, Bagherdai faced unbeaten prospect Ashley “Smashley” Cummins two weeks ago at Invicta Fighting Championships 1 and dropped a hard-fought decision after three rounds.

The bout between Bagherdai and Cummins had been scheduled to take place at 115 pounds, but Bagherdai endured a severe weight cut and was unable to make the contracted limit. She ultimately came in at 120.6 pounds and was in visible discomfort prior to the weigh-ins. Bagherdai will be required to make the cut back down to 120 pounds to face Clark, who also moves down slightly in weight from her normal home in the 125-pound flyweight division.

Xtreme Fighting Championships 18: “Music City Mayhem” takes place on June 22nd at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee. The event airs live on HDNet.

(Photo Credit: Andrew DeMattos)