After an illness forced her out of a planned bout in May, strawweight Nina “The Strina” Ansaroff returns to the Octagon on January 2, 2016 at UFC 195: “Lawler vs Condit” in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ansaroff faces off against TUF 20 member Justine Kish, who also returns following a lengthy hiatus.

The Ansaroff-Kish bout was initially reported on UFC Tonight, and the date and location were subsequently clarified by the UFC’s Thomas Gerbasi. Ansaroff was pulled from the UFC 187 card on mere hours’ notice due to influenza. Kish sustained a knee injury during TUF 20 and did not compete.

Ansaroff (6-4-0) contemplated retirement before the UFC came calling this past year. She brought an impressive five-fight winning streak into her Octagon debut at UFC Fight Night 56, but her momentum was halted by a Unanimous Decision loss to Juliana “Ju Thai” de Lima Carneiro. Ansaroff was then scheduled to face TUF 20 finalist “Thug” Rose Namajunas in May, but a battle with the flu left Ansaroff unable to make the 115-pound weight limit and ultimately unable to compete at all. She now seeks redemption when she steps back into the cage early next year.

Kish (4-0-0) entered The Ultimate Fighter 20 as a relative unknown, but with four notable victories already on her record, some felt that she may progress far in the competition. However, a knee injury sidelined Kish and left her unable to compete on the show. Kish’s last fight took place in January 2014 when she handed current UFC strawweight contender Randa “Quiet Storm” Markos her first defeat, and she now looks to keep her unbeaten record intact in her most high-profile fight to date.

UFC 195: “Lawler vs Condit” takes place on January 2, 2016 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a UFC Welterweight Championship bout between “Ruthless” Robbie Lawler and “The Natural Born Killer” Carlos Condit.

(Photo Credit: UFC)