Jessica Penne vs Juliana Lima Planned For UFC Fight Night 67TUF 20 semi-finalist Jessica Penne looks for her second victory inside the Octagon when she returns to action at UFC Fight Night 67 on May 30th in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil. The former Invicta FC champion is expected to face off against veteran Brazilian contender Juliana “Ju Thai” de Lima Carneiro.

Combat Press first reported on the targeted matchup today. Penne won her UFC debut in December when she edged out fellow TUF 20 semi-finalist Randa “Quiet Storm” Markos. Lima bounced back from a loss in her first UFC bout by defeating Nina “The Strina” Ansaroff at UFC Fight Night 56.

Penne (12-2-0) made history in October 2012 when she became the inaugural Invicta FC Atomweight Champion by defeating then-Jewels champ Naho “Sugi Rock” Sugiyama at Invicta FC 3. She split her next two fights for the all-female promotion and joined 15 other women on The Ultimate Fighter 20 this past year. During the gruelling competition, Penne advanced to the semi-final round by defeating Lisa Ellis and Aisling “Ais The Bash” Daly in succession before dropping a decision to eventual winner Carla “Cookie Monster” Esparza. She won her official UFC debut by outpointing Markos at the TUF 20 Finale.

Lima (7-2-0) began her pro MMA career with five straight victories including a key win over top prospect Kinberly Novaes in September 2011. She suffered her first loss at the hands of Invicta FC Strawweight Champion Katja “Killer Bunny” Kankaanpää in her lone fight for the promotion, but rebounded with a quick TKO victory in October 2013 that earned her a spot on the UFC roster. Her Octagon debut ended in a decision loss to newly-crowned UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk, but Lima put on a solid showing in her three-round victory over Ansaroff in November.

UFC Fight Night 67 is targeted for May 30th at Goiânia Arena in Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil.

 

 

(Photo Credit: UFC)

  1. I’d say this would be a likely win for Penne, but it’s happening in Lima’s home country of Brazil — where it must be very difficult to win. Should be a good fight. If Penne can win, she may overtake Esparza in the rankings and could be an early challenger to Jędrzejczyk.

    I’m still waiting for Randa Markos’ next scheduled fight. Hopefully soon.