A battle of former regional strawweight champions will take place in September.
Multiple sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have confirmed to Cageside Press that Elise Reed will welcome Melissa Martinez to the UFC on September 10 at UFC 279. Reed is replacing Hannah Cifers, who withdrew from the fight.
Reed (5-2) is staying busy in 2022, something that she told Cageside Press that she wanted to do. The 29-year-old will be looking to get back into the win column after suffering a TKO loss to Sam Hughes at UFC Vegas 55. Prior to that, she got her first UFC win by defeating Cory McKenna at UFC London. The former CFFC champion has alternated wins and losses so far in her UFC career.
Martinez (7-0) will be returning to action in September after a three-year layoff. “Super Melly” is a Combate Americas veteran, winning the strawweight championship in her last outing. In her seven wins, Martinez has finished five of those.
UFC 279 does not yet have a venue, location, or main event; however, Aljamain Sterling and T.J. Dillashaw have been rumored to headline the PPV.
So far, UFC 279 looks like this:
- Norma Dumont vs. Danyelle Wolf
- Daniel da Silva vs. Victor Altamirano
- Irene Aldana vs. Macy Chiasson
- Elise Reed vs. Melissa Martinez
