Former UFC title challenger Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche steps back into the Octagon on April 4th at UFC Fight Night 63: “Mendes vs Lamas” in Fairfax, Virginia. Carmouche is set to face off against the inaugural Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion, Lauren Murphy, in featured action on the card.

UFC officials announced the fight today. Carmouche has not fought since April 19th, when she dropped a competitive decision to Miesha “Cupcake” Tate at UFC on FOX 11. Murphy seeks her first UFC victory after suffering a razor-thin Split Decision loss to Sara McMann in her Octagon debut.

Carmouche (9-5-0) made history as one half of the UFC’s first-ever women’s bout when she took on “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey at UFC 157. While she came up short in the title fight, Carmouche rebounded with an impressive second-round stoppage win over rising star Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade in July 2013. Her next fight ended in a decision loss to recent title challenger Alexis “Ally-Gator” Davis, and Carmouche now looks to get back on track following her close defeat against Tate this past April.

Murphy (8-1-0) became the first Invicta FC Bantamweight Champion in December 2013 when opponent Miriam Nakamoto sustained a fight-ending knee injury. Prior to the title victory, Murphy had posted wins over Kaitlin Young and Sarah “The Monster” D’Alelio inside the Invicta FC cage. After months of waiting, Murphy received a call to compete in the UFC this past August. In spite of a strong final round against McMann, only one judge scored the fight for Murphy, who suffered her first loss in disappointing fashion.

UFC Fight Night 63: “Mendes vs Lamas” takes place on April 4th at Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia. The event is headlined by a featherweight contender’s bout between Chad “Money” Mendes and Ricardo “The Bully” Lamas.

(Photo Credit: UFC)