The UFC has booked a 125-pound women’s title fight between Valentina Shevchenko and Sijara Eubanks to headline its UFC 230 pay-per-view event on Nov. 3 in Madison Square Garden, according to sources.
The five-round bout will be for the vacant flyweight title. The UFC stripped former champion Nicco Montaño of the belt in September, when she was forced to pull out of a scheduled defense against Shevchenko at UFC 228 for medical reasons.
Shevchenko (15-3) was supposed to face former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the vacant flyweight title at UFC 231 on Dec. 8 in Toronto, but the UFC needed a title fight to headline its annual card in New York City.
A former bantamweight title challenger, Shevchenko is the No. 4 ranked pound-for-pound female fighter in the world according to ESPN.
Eubanks (3-2) was supposed to face Montaño for the first-ever flyweight title in December 2017, but was forced to pull out at the last minute due to complications during her weight cut. She went on to defeat Lauren Murphy via unanimous decision in a non-title bout in June.
The UFC considered several options to headline the event, before opting to move up Shevchenko’s title fight. Lightweights Nate Diaz and Dustin Poirier, who are scheduled to compete in the co-main event, also campaigned to elevate their 155-pound fight to a 165-pound title fight in the main event. The UFC does not promote a 165-pound division, however, and isn’t ready to start one.