Milana Dudieva Faces Elizabeth Phillips At UFC Fight Night 48After visa issues delayed her UFC debut earlier this year, Milana Dudieva steps into the Octagon for the first time on August 23rd at UFC Fight Night 48: “Bisping vs Le” in Cotai, Macau. The Russian standout faces off against Elizabeth Phillips, who recently stepped in to replace Dudieva at UFC 174.

UFC officials confirmed the bantamweight mnatchup this past weekend. Dudieva was originally in talks to sign with the UFC more than a year ago, but an untimely loss to Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade put those plans on hold. Phillips dropped a close decision in her short-notice Octagon debut.

Dudieva (10-3-0) has long been seen as one of Europe’s top female fighters, but the 25-year-old has battled inconsistency and cardio issues in recent bouts that led to a pair of tough defeats in 2013. After succumbing to a late-fight guillotine choke from Andrade, Dudieva suffered a second straight defeat against Swedish prospect Pannie “Banzai” Kianzad. She has bounced back with two quick submission wins over inexperienced opponents this year and now looks to score one of her biggest victories to date in her long-awaited UFC debut next month.

Phillips (4-2-0) rebounded from a one-sided loss to “The Queen of Mean” Miriam Nakamoto in her September 2012 pro debut by racking up four straight wins for the Conquest of the Cage promotion. The stretch included three stoppage victories, and Phillips’s win over Katie Howard in late May was enough to earn her a short-notice call to debut for the UFC at UFC 174. After getting off to a strong start against Valérie “Trouble” Létourneau, Phillips slowed down and she ultimately dropped a Split Decision. The Washington native now looks to even her UFC record at 1-1.

UFC Fight Night 48: “Bisping vs Le” takes place on August 23rd at CotaiArena in Cotai, Macau.

 

 

(Photo Credit: ProFC)