UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey will make the next defence of her title on July 5th at UFC 175: “Weidman vs Machida” in Las Vegas, Nevada. The unbeaten judoka faces Canadian jiu-jitsu ace Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis in what will likely serve as the co-main event.

UFC President Dana White announced the title fight on Friday night, which ended weeks of speculation regarding a potential matchup between Rousey and former Strikeforce title challenger Gina “Conviction” Carano. Rousey and top contender Davis each picked up victories at UFC 170 in February.

Rousey (9-0-0) made history this past year by becoming the first woman to ever win a fight inside the Octagon and she has since gone on to become one of the UFC’s biggest stars. In December, following a stint coaching on The Ultimate Fighter 18, Rousey submitted bitter rival Miesha “Cupcake” Tate for a second time to retain her title. The bout marked the first time that Rousey had ever been taken out of the first round in her MMA career. She made a quick return to the cage and stopped fellow Olympic medallist Sara McMann with a knee to the body in just 66 seconds at UFC 170.

Davis (16-5-0) is one of very few women in the 135-pound division whose ground game is comparable to the champion’s. As a decorated black belt in both Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Japanese jujutsu, Davis has submitted seven of her MMA opponents to date including Tonya “Triple Threat” Evinger (twice), Hitomi “Girlfight Monster” Akano and Shayna “The Queen of Spades” Baszler. She is undefeated in three UFC appearances and most recently picked up a hard-fought Split Decision victory over Jessica “Evil” Eye on the UFC 170 preliminary card. Davis has secured victories in eight of her past nine fights.

UFC 175: “Weidman vs Machida” takes place on July 5th at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a UFC Middleweight Championship bout between reigning champion “All-American” Chris Weidman and Lyoto “The Dragon” Machida.

(Photo Credit: UFC)