Having recovered from a training injury in June, Sofia Bagherdai competes under the Xtreme Fighting Championships banner for the first time when she faces Sarah “KO Kid” Maloy at XFC 20: “High Octane” on September 28th in Knoxville, Tennessee. The flyweight matchup was announced today.

Bagherdai had been scheduled to make her XFC debut against “Hurricane” Heather Clark on June 22nd, but was forced to withdraw from the bout due to injury. She now returns to her former home at 125 pounds to face Maloy, who is coming off of a Unanimous Decision win at Invicta FC 1 in April.

Bagherdai (4-2-0) was also a part of the inaugural Invicta Fighting Championships card. Stepping back into the cage for the first time in three and a half years, Bagherdai struggled with a severe weight cut and ultimately dropped a Unanimous Decision to unbeaten prospect Ashley “Smashley” Cummins. With her attempt to make 115 pounds unsuccessful, Bagherdai has set her sights back on the flyweight division, where she posted a 4-1 record from 2007 to 2008. Two of Bagherdai’s victories have come by way of first-round TKO and her lone stoppage loss came against Carina “Beauty But The Beast” Damm, who tested positive for steroids following the fight. A win over Maloy would put Bagherdai back on track as she looks to climb back up the ranks of the increasingly competitive flyweight division.

Maloy (3-2-0) began her pro career with submission wins in each of her first two fights before suffering an upset loss to Avery “Psycho” Vilche in April 2011. Despite the setback, Maloy received a chance to compete for the Freestyle Cage Fighting women’s flyweight title three months later, but succumbed to a second-round armbar from champion “Slick” Sally Krumdiack. Maloy’s string of bad luck continued in October when a planned bout with Amanda “Red Fox” LaVoy was cancelled minutes before it was set to begin due to a disagreement over round lengths. This year has been much kinder to Maloy and she picked up her most notable win to date by defeating Michele “Diablita” Gutierrez at Invicta FC 1. The talented wrestler now plans to make it two in a row when she faces Bagherdai next month.

Xtreme Fighting Championships 20: “High Octane” takes place on September 28th at the Knoxville Civic Auditorium and Coliseum in Knoxville, Tennessee.

(Photo Credit: Sherdog.com)