UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm is set to make the first defence of her title on March 5th at UFC 197: “Dos Anjos vs McGregor” in Las Vegas, Nevada. The undefeated striker faces off against former Strikeforce champion Miesha “Cupcake” Tate.

UFC officials confirmed plans for the title fight today following a report from Bleacher Report’s Jeremy Botter this past week. Holm captured the title with a shocking knockout victory over “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey at UFC 193. Tate, who twice came up short against Rousey, has won four straight fights.

Holm (10-0-0), one of the most decorated female boxing champions in history, made her UFC debut this past February and narrowly edged out TUF 18 semi-finalist Raquel “Rocky” Pennington. She returned to the cage in July and outstruck Marion “The Belizean Bruiser” Reneau at UFC Fight Night 71. The decision victories earned Holm a shot at Rousey’s title, but most observers predicted that she would be lucky to survive the first round against the champion. Instead, Holm surprised many by completely dominating the fight on the feet, and she brutally knocked Rousey out with a second-round head kick.

Tate (17-5-0) became the third woman to hold the Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Championship when she claimed the title from Marloes “Rumina” Coenen in late July 2011, but her reign on top was short-lived and she was defeated by Rousey in the pair’s first meeting seven months later. Her first two UFC bouts both ended in stoppage losses, against “Alpha” Cat Zingano and Rousey in a rematch, but Tate has since put together a solid four-fight winning streak against many of the bantamweight division’s top contenders. She most recently defeated Jessica “Evil” Eye at UFC on FOX 16 in July.

UFC 197: “Dos Anjos vs McGregor” takes place on March 5th at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a UFC Lightweight Championship bout between Rafael dos Anjos and current featherweight champ “The Notorious” Conor McGregor, who moves up to 155 pounds.

(Photo Credit: UFC)