UFC Women’s Strawweight Champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk puts her title on the line against a familiar foe on November 12th at UFC 205 in New York City, New York. Jędrzejczyk is set to face off against fellow Polish star Karolina Kowalkiewicz in a rematch from a March 2012 amateur bout.
UFC officials confirmed the title fight on Friday following a report from Flo Combat. Also confirmed was a bantamweight bout between former champ Miesha “Cupcake” Tate and Raquel “Rocky” Pennington, first reported by ESPN. Elsewhere, Liz “Girl-Rilla” Carmouche battles Katlyn Chookagian.
Jędrzejczyk (12-0-0) rapidly ascended to the top of the women’s pound-for-pound rankings after signing with the UFC in mid-2014 and capturing the promotion’s 115-pound women’s title in her third UFC fight. Since then, Jędrzejczyk has proven her dominance over the rest of the division by racking up three successful title defences against formidable opposition. In her most recent fight at The Ultimate Fighter 23 Finale in July, Jędrzejczyk earned her second win over rival Claudia “Claudinha” Gadelha, and she now looks to make it two-for-two against Kowalkiewicz in November.
Kowalkiewicz (10-0-0) first rose to prominence in her native Poland, where she captured KSW title gold and established herself as one of Europe’s brightest prospects. In her lone appearance for Invicta FC, Kowalkiewicz impressed onlookers with her formidable striking skills en route to a decision win over Deep Jewels champion Mizuki Inoue, and she has since gone on to win three straight fights inside the Octagon. At UFC 201 in July, Kowalkiewicz earned her first UFC title shot by defeating “Thug” Rose Namajunas, and she hopes to avenge her amateur loss to Jędrzejczyk in the pair’s high-profile rematch.
Tate (18-6-0) at last realised her dream of becoming a UFC champion when she choked out Holly “The Preacher’s Daughter” Holm late in the fifth round of their co-main event bout at UFC 196, but her reign on top was short-lived. At UFC 200 in July, Tate’s five-fight winning streak came to an end when she was swiftly submitted by Amanda “Lioness” Nunes, which once again created chaos among the top ten in the 135-pound women’s rankings. Now seeking redemption, Tate faces a solid test in November as she looks to climb back into the title picture and a potential rematch with Nunes.
Pennington (8-5-0) opened her pro career with a modest 3-3 record, but she has since risen to become a legitimate bantamweight contender inside the UFC Octagon. Following a successful run on The Ultimate Fighter 18 that ended in the semi-final round, Pennington won her official UFC debut in late 2013. She went 1-2 in her next two bouts, with razor-thin decision losses to Jéssica “Bate Estaca” Andrade and Holm, but has since racked up an impressive three-fight winning streak that includes a second-round submission victory over Andrade in an entertaining rematch at UFC 191.
The UFC 205 preliminary card features the long-awaited return of former bantamweight title challenger Carmouche (10-5-0), who looks to hand fast-rising star Chookagian (8-0-0) her first professional loss. Carmouche, who competed in the first-ever UFC women’s title fight at UFC 157, halted a two-fight losing skid with a contentious decision win over “Lucky” Lauren Murphy at UFC Fight Night 63 in April 2015, but has not fought since that night. Former two-division Cage Fury Fighting Championships titleholder Chookagian kicked off her UFC career in a big way by defeating Murphy at UFC Fight Night 91.
UFC 205 takes place on November 12th at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. The event features a UFC Welterweight Championship bout between Tyron “The Chosen One” Woodley and Stephen “Wonderboy” Thompson.
(Photo Credit: UFC)