The inaugural WSOF Women’s Strawweight Championship will be up for grabs when top-ranked Jessica “Jag” Aguilar takes on fast-rising star Alida Gray at World Series of Fighting 8. The event takes place on January 18th at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

WSOF officials confirmed plans for the title tilt on Tuesday following an initial announcement from Gray’s team. Aguilar has not lost since 2010, though each of her past three fights has ended in controversial fashion. Gray is unbeaten in her career and she has finished all four opponents to date.

Aguilar (16-4-0) ascended to the top of the 115-pound women’s strawweight division this past year when she upset Megumi “Mega Megu” Fujii via razor-thin decision at Bellator 69. The close victory extended Aguilar’s winning streak to five, but it would be more than ten months until she made her return to the cage. At Bellator 94, Aguilar defeated “Little” Patricia Vidonic via a disputed Split Decision in a rematch that many observers felt that Vidonic had won. Aguilar’s latest win, a second victory over Fujii in October, also ended controversially when Fujii could not continue due to two accidental eye pokes.

Gray (4-0-0) has quietly made a name for herself with four impressive stoppage wins this year. In her pro debut in June, Gray became the first woman to ever finish Vidonic when she submitted her with an armbar to win the vacant Sugar Creek Showdown women’s strawweight title. Since then, Gray has racked up three knockout wins including a vicious third-round stoppage of Soannia Tiem in October. The highlight-reel knockout attracted even more attention to Gray’s career and WSOF officials took note by signing the Texan for her biggest fight to date.

Earlier this year, Aguilar signed on with WSOF as the promotion’s second – and first active – female fighter, and she now faces a tough test in her debut for the promotion. Looking to put any controversy and doubt from her recent fights to rest, Aguilar now seeks to prove once again that she is MMA’s premier female fighter at 115 pounds by defeating the surging Gray next month.

World Series of Fighting 8 takes place on January 18, 2014 at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida.

(Photo Credit: Bellator)