The UFC is targeting a highly ranked strawweight bout between former title challengers Jessica Andrade and Karolina Kowalkiewicz for UFC 228 on Sept. 8, according to sources.
The promotion has not yet announced a venue for UFC 228, however sources told ESPN the front-runner is Dallas.
Andrade (18-6) is 5-1 in the UFC’s 115-pound division. She challenged former champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the title in May 2017 but lost a unanimous decision. She is 2-0 since then, with victories over Claudia Gadelha and Tecia Torres.
The 26-year-old Brazilian has recorded finishes in 12 of her 18 career victories.
Kowalkiewicz (12-2), of Poland, also is on a two-fight win streak. The 32-year-old fought Jedrzejczyk for the title in November 2016 and lost via unanimous decision. Kowalkiewicz suffered a submission loss to Gadelha in her next fight, before rebounding with consecutive wins.
Kowalkiewicz also holds a split decision win against current champion Rose Namajunas, from UFC 201 in July 2016. She actually is the last woman to defeat Namajunas, who took the title from Jedrzejczyk late last year.
Namajunas told ESPN this week that she is dealing with a neck injury and “has no interest in getting right back in there.”
Andrade and Kowalkiewicz would be putting their respective ranks in jeopardy in accepting this matchup, but with a title shot almost assuredly guaranteed to the winner.