Undefeated strawweight rising star Karolina Kowalkiewicz makes her return to action on May 8th at UFC Fight Night 87: “Overeem vs Arlovski” in Rotterdam, South Holland, The Netherlands. The popular Polish standout is set to face off against TUF 20 contestant “Hurricane” Heather Clark.

UFC officials announced the matchup earlier today. Former KSW champion Kowalkiewicz made a successful Octagon debut in December when she defeated Randa “Quiet Storm” Markos at UFC on FOX 17. Clark defeated “Rowdy” Bec Rawlings in her most recent fight at the TUF 20 Finale in 2014.

Kowalkiewicz (8-0-0) has made a steady climb up the 115-pound rankings during the past two years thanks to key victories over some of the division’s top prospects. In her lone appearance for Invicta FC, Kowalkiewicz earned a well-deserved Split Decision win over Deep Jewels Strawweight Champion Mizuki Inoue. She returned home to Poland and edged out Kalindra Faria in a non-title fight at KSW 30, then signed with the UFC later in 2015. Kowalkiewicz did not receive an easy opponent for her UFC debut in December, but she outstruck Markos en route to a three-round decision victory.

Clark (7-4-0) has already faced off against some of the sport’s most talented female fighters, and she earned finishes in each of her first five pro wins. Clark joined The Ultimate Fighter 20 cast in 2014 and she engaged in a rematch with bitter rival Felice “Lil’ Bulldog” Herrig in the opening round, but Herrig prevailed once again. Undeterred, Clark embraced the role of underdog and overcame a torn ACL en route to an impressive Unanimous Decision win over Rawlings at the show’s finale. Now fully healed, Clark looks to take a big step towards title contention by defeating Kowalkiewicz in May.

UFC Fight Night 87: “Overeem vs Arlovski” takes place on May 8th at Ahoy Rotterdam in Rotterdam, South Holland, The Netherlands. The event is headlined by a heavyweight showdown between Alistair Overeem and Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski.

(Photo Credit: UFC)