An important women’s flyweight bout is heading to Russia.
Roxanne Modafferi vs. Antonina Shevchenko is slated for UFC Saint Petersburg on April 20, sources confirmed Thursday with MMA Fighting. My MMA News was the first to report the expected bout last week. The main card of UFC Saint Petersburg will air on ESPN+.
The fight has not yet been officially announced by the UFC.
Modafferi (22-15) is coming off a loss to Sijara Eubanks at UFC 230 back in November. Before that, the women’s MMA pioneer defeated former Invicta champ Barb Honchak to pick up her first UFC victory. Modafferi, 36, is currently No. 8 among UFC flyweight contenders in the promotion’s official rankings. She has been a pro fighter since 2003 and even after 16 years she remains extremely relevant in the 125-pound division today.
Shevchenko (7-0), older sister of the UFC flyweight champion Valentina, won her UFC debut over Ji Yeon Kim via unanimous decision at the TUF 28 Finale back in November. The Kyrgyzstan native is undefeated in MMA and a multiple-time Muay Thai world champion. Shevchenko, 36, is currently unranked, but a victory could catapult her up the flyweight rankings.
UFC Saint Petersburg doesn’t have an announced main event yet.
