Tonya Evinger, who jumped at the chance to face Cris Cyborg earlier this year, will return at UFC Austin.
On Tuesday, the UFC announced that former Invicta FC bantamweight champion Tonya Evinger will return to the octagon in February. Set to appear at UFC Austin, Evinger will take on the gritty Marion Reneau. The bout will mark a return to bantamweight for the Texas native. It will also mark her first time fighting in Texas in three years.
Evinger (19–6 (1)) had been undefeated since 2011 prior to jumping to the UFC for a short notice fight against Cyborg. The closest she had come to defeat was a 2016 no contest against Yana Kunitskaya. Originally a win for Kunitskaya that briefly cost Evinger her Invicta title, the result was overturned due to a referee error. Evinger would go on to win the rematch, then move on to the UFC.
Over the course of a career spanning over a decade, Evinger has picked up wins over Julie Kedzie, Ediane Gomes, Pannie Kianzad and others.
Marion Reneau (8–3–1) will enter the bout off a win over Talita Bernardo at UFC Fight Night 115. At forty, she remains the oldest active fighter in the UFC’s women’s bantamweight division, but has yet to show signs of slowing down.
UFC Austin is set to take place February 18 at the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.
