Former UFC women’s bantamweight ace Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm looks to get back into title contention when she returns to the Octagon on July 23rd at UFC on FOX 20 in Chicago, Illinois. Holm faces off against Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko in what may serve as the night’s main event.

The matchup was announced during Wednesday’s edition of UFC Tonight. Holm suffered her first loss and relinquished her title to Miesha “Cupcake” Tate in a thrilling back-and-forth battle at UFC 196 in March. Shevchenko lost a decision to Amanda “Lioness” Nunes earlier on the UFC 196 card.

Holm (10-1-0) appeared to be in line for a lengthy run as UFC Women’s Bantamweight Champion after brutally knocking out “Rowdy” Ronda Rousey in the UFC 193 headliner. The highlight-reel victory was Holm’s tenth consecutive win, and it re-established her as one of the division’s most dangerous strikers after a pair of lacklustre performances in her first two UFC bouts. In March, Holm was moments away from retaining her title with a hard-fought decision win over Tate, but Tate rallied in the fifth round and she choked Holm unconscious to become the new champion.

Shevchenko (13-2-0) brought a stellar record into her short-notice UFC debut in December and she made the most of the opportunity by picking up a big victory. Stepping in on just one week’s notice, Shevchenko earned a well-deserved Split Decision win over former Strikeforce Women’s Bantamweight Champion Sarah Kaufman at UFC on FOX 17. The key victory immediately elevated Shevchenko into UFC title contender status, but she got off to a slow start in rounds one and two against Nunes, and her onslaught of offence in the final round was not quite enough to steal back a win.

UFC on FOX 20 takes place on July 23rd at United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The event also features a women’s strawweight bout between Felice “Lil’ Bulldog” Herrig and Kailin Curran.

(Photo Credit: UFC)