A handful of popular female fighters including Bec Rawlings and Aspen Ladd have been booked by the UFC for later this Spring.
A pair of women’s MMA bouts were announced over the weekend, as the UFC focused on the action from UFC Fight Night 125 in Belem. First up, Ashlee-Evans Smith will move to flyweight to take on Bec Rawlings at UFC 223. That news was first reported by Newsday. The card goes down in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center on April 7.
Bec Rawlings (7–7) has lost three in a row in the UFC, and is 2-4 in the promotion overall. At UFC Sydney in November last time out, she ended up on the wrong end of a split decision against Jessica-Rose Clark. Tecia Torres and Paige VanZant have also captured wins over her during that slump.
Ashlee-Evans Smith (5-3) has lost two straight, meanwhile. She was submitted by a returning Sarah Moras within a round at UFC 215 in September.
Aside from the UFC 223 addition, the UFC announced during the UFC Belem broadcast that Aspen Ladd (6-0), fresh off her debut win at UFC Gdansk over Lina Länsberg, had been booked to face Leslie Smith in Atlantic City. That card, UFC Fight Night 128, takes place April 21.
Ladd fought her entire career as a professional in Invicta FC before moving to the UFC last year. Smith (10-7-1), for her part, has earned a two-fight win streak since being finished by Cris Cyborg at UFC 198. She finished Amanda Lemos last time out.
