Editors note: The date of the fight was edited from May 21 to June 4 to reflect the correct date.
One fighter is moving back down to strawweight, the other is returning from a lengthy layoff, and it’s going down at a UFC Fight Night in June.
Multiple sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have confirmed to Cageside Press that a fight between Cynthia Calvillo and Brianna Fortino (nee Van Buren) is in the works for June 4, at a yet-to-be-announced UFC event.
Calvillo (9-4-1) will be returning to the strawweight division after a four-fight run at flyweight, where she went 1-3. During that span, however, she did headline her first UFC event. The 34-year old is riding the first losing streak of her career, dropping her last three bouts. In her last outing, she was finished by Andrea Lee, with her corner calling off the fight between rounds. After that loss, the California native teased a move back to 115 pounds.
When Fortino (7-3) enters the octagon in June, it will be nearly two years since she last competed. In her time away, she got married, and welcomed a son to the world last year.
Fortino suffered her first UFC loss in her most recent outing and had a four-fight win streak snapped by Tecia Torres. “The Bull” was put back into the rankings a few weeks ago and now sits at No. 14 in the women’s strawweight division.
The UFC’s June 4, 2022 event does not yet have an official location, venue, or broadcast plan announced. The card as announced to date currently looks like this:
- Dan Ige vs. Movsar Evloev
- Poliana Botelho vs. Karine Silva
- Zhalgas Zhumagulov vs. Jeff Molina
- Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ode’ Osbourne
- Cynthia Calvillo vs. Brianna Fortino
