Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Jessica Penne booked for UFC 265
Two former UFC strawweight title challengers have been paired to fight each other.
Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Jessica Penne will square off Aug. 7 at UFC 265, which doesn’t yet have an official location or venue. The promotion announced the fight booking on Tuesday.
Kowalkiewicz (12-6 MMA, 5-6 UFC) hasn’t competed since a February 2020 unanimous decision loss to Yan Xiaonan at UFC Fight Night 168 in Auckland, New Zealand. The loss was her fourth in a row.
Penne (13-5 MMA, 2-3 UFC), meanwhile, returned at UFC on ESPN 22 in April when she defeated former LFA strawweight champion Lupita Godinez by split decision. The fight was her first bout since 2017 and her first win since 2014.
The current UFC 265 lineup includes:
- Champ Amanda Nunes vs. Julianna Pena – for bantamweight title
- Ed Herman vs. Alonzo Menifield
- Jose Aldo vs. Pedro Munhoz
- Vince Morales vs. Drako Rodriguez
- Johnny Munoz vs. Jamey Simmons
- Casey Kenney vs. Song Yadong
- Angela Hill vs. Tecia Torres
- Michael Chiesa vs. Vicente Luque
- Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Jessica Penne