Ukrainian flyweight Maryna Moroz will look to extend her win streak to four straight this July.
Moroz (11-3) has been lined up to face Ultimate Fighter alum Sijara Eubanks (7-7) at a UFC Fight Night event on July 9, 2022. Ariel Helwani was first to report news of the match-up, which Moroz later confirmed on social media.
Moroz has been on a tear, winning three straight and capturing post-fight bonuses in her last two appearances inside the octagon. Those fights came two years apart however: Moroz took home Fight of the Night against Mayra Bueno Silva in March of 2020, then returned to action this past March at UFC 272, earning a Performance of the Night bonus for an arm-triangle choke submission Mariya Agapova.
After that most recent win, Moroz made an impassioned speech in support of her homeland, which remains under attack by Russian forces. She also brought the Ukrainian flag to the cage — which will not be allowed come July. UFC officials recently implemented a flag ban, barring all fighters from bringing flags to the octagon.
Dana White confirmed the ban at UFC 274 over the weekend, but refused to elaborate on the reason behind it. “You guys know why,” he told media members in Phoenix. “Let’s not even play that f*cking game.”
Flags have not been much of a controversy, and fight kits tend to be tailored to the nationality of the fighter — yellow and green for Brazil, red and white for Canada, etc. But shortly after Russia’s attack on Ukraine began, Brian Kelleher asked permission to walk out with the Ukrainian flag. He later changed it to the World Peace flag, but his request was denied.
Eubanks, meanwhile, will look to bounce back from a loss to Melissa Gatto in the fight. “Sarj” is 1-3 in her last four fights, and missed weight for the Gatto bout.
The UFC’s July 9, 2022 event has the following fights reported for it thus far:
- Ronnie Lawrence vs. Saidyokub Kakhramonov
- Nina Nunes vs. Cynthia Calvillo
- Antonina Shevchenko vs. Cortney Casey
- Josh Fremd vs. Tresean Gore
- Said Nurmagomedov vs. Douglas Silva de Andrade
- Jamie Pickett vs. Abdul Razak Alhassan
- Caio Borralho vs. Armen Petrosyan
- Rani Yahya vs. Cody Garbrandt
- Rafael dos Anjos vs. Rafael Fiziev
- Maryna Moroz vs. Sijara Eubanks
