Fan favourite Felice “Lil’ Bulldog” Herrig makes her return after a lengthy hiatus and seeks a crucial win on July 23rd at UFC on FOX 20 in Chicago, Illinois. The hometown star, who has not fought since April 2015, is set to battle Hawaiian prospect Kailin Curran in strawweight action on the card.
UFC officials announced the 115-pound fight on Thursday. Herrig has been idle since dropping a one-sided decision to “12 Gauge” Paige VanZant at UFC on FOX 15 one year ago. Curran recently halted a tough two-fight losing skid by submitting Emily Kagan at UFC Fight Night 80 in December.
Herrig (10-6-0) brought a solid four-fight winning streak into her Invicta FC debut in late 2013, but her lone bout for the promotion ended in a Unanimous Decision loss to Tecia “The Tiny Tornado” Torres. She subsequently signed with the UFC and advanced to the quarterfinal round of TUF 20 before suffering a submission loss against Randa “Quiet Storm” Markos. Herrig got back on track with a submission win over veteran Lisa Ellis at the TUF 20 Finale, but she was completely dominated by VanZant in their FOX-televised matchup this past April and has not competed since then.
Curran (4-2-0) kicked off her pro career with three straight decision wins for Pacific Xtreme Combat, including a close victory over former Deep Jewels champ Emi Tomimatsu, and signed with the UFC in mid-2014. She engaged in a thrilling back-and-forth bout with VanZant at UFC Fight Night 57 before succumbing to third-round strikes. In her next fight at UFC Fight Night 65, Curran was in complete control against Alex “Astro Girl” Chambers until Chambers secured a late armbar for the comeback victory. Undeterred, Curran notched her first UFC win by submitting Kagan on December 10th.
UFC on FOX 20 takes place on July 23rd at United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
(Photo Credit: UFC)