A pair of top flyweight contenders will collide at UFC 263 in what is most likely a title eliminator.
That fight will see No. 3 ranked flyweight Lauren Murphy take on No. 6 Joanne Calderwood at the event on June 12. Both women would confirm the booking on social media, following an initial report by MMA Junkie.
Murphy (14-4) is riding a four-fight win streak and went 3-0 in 2020. She kicked off her year with a split decision win over Andrea Lee at UFC 247 in February. “Lucky” would return four months later and defeat Roxanne Modafferi via a unanimous decision. Murphy would cap off her excellent year with her third UFC finish, as she submitted Liliya Shakirova at UFC 254 on ‘Fight Island.’
Calderwood (15-5) rebounded at UFC 257 against Jessica Eye by defeating her via unanimous decision. The Scottish fighter was next in line for a title shot against champion Valentine Shevchenko but put it all on the line when she fought Jennifer Maia at UFC Fight Night: Brunson vs. Shahbazyan last August. Calderwood would end up submitted in the first round. Maia would move on to fight Shevchenko for the title.
The winner of this fight will most likely be next in line for the flyweight championship.
UFC 263 takes place June 12, 2021. While no official location or venue have been announced for the PPV card, the following fights have been reported:
Deiveson Figueiredo (c) vs. Brandon Moreno – for the UFC flyweight championship
Carlos Felipe vs. Jake Collier
Luigi Vendramini vs. Fares Ziam
Movsar Evloev vs. Hakeem Dawodu
Lauren Murphy vs. Joanne Calderwood
