Sara McMann vs. Julianna Pena added to UFC Fight Night on Jan. 16

A key women’s bantamweight matchup is the latest addition to the UFC’s first event of the year.

Julianna Pena (9-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) faces Sara McMann (12-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) at UFC Fight Night on Jan. 16, which does not yet have an official location or venue.

A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie after initial posts from both McMann and Pena on their social media accounts.

Since returning from a two-year hiatus, Pena has split her past two appearances and is coming off a third-round submission loss to former featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie at UFC on ESPN 16 in October. Prior to that, the “The Ultimate Fighter” Season 18 winner picked up a unanimous decision win over former UFC flyweight champion Nicco Montano in July.

McMann recently returned from maternity leave herself, when she snapped a two-fight skid with a unanimous decision win over Lina Lansberg at UFC on ESPN+ 24 in January.

The latest lineup for UFC’s Jan. 16 event includes:

• Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar
• Brian Kelleher vs. Ricky Simon
• Jacob Kilburn vs. Austin Lingo
• Tim Elliott vs. Jordan Espinosa
• Carlos Felipe vs. Justin Tafa
• Punahele Soriano vs. Dusko Todorovic
• Sara McMann vs. Julianna Pena