Less than two weeks after a dominant defense of her flyweight championship, Valentina Shevchenko already has agreed to her next bout, sources told ESPN.
Shevchenko (17-3) will seek her second title defense against Liz Carmouche (13-6) in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Aug. 10 at Antel Arena in Montevideo, Uruguay, sources said. The event will air on ESPN+.
One fascinating aspect of the matchup is Carmouche, 35, represents one of only two women to ever beat Shevchenko in mixed martial arts. Shevchenko lost twice to current bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes before dropping to the 125-pound division.
The first bout took place in 2010 at a regional show outside Oklahoma. Carmouche won via second-round TKO.
Shevchenko, 31, is coming off a highlight knockout against Jessica Eye earlier this month in Chicago. A native of Kyrgyzstan, Shevchenko has expressed her desire to remain an active champion, and the UFC is obliging that request. Shevchenko is tied with Cris Cyborg as the No. 2 pound-for-pound female fighter in the world, according to ESPN’s rankings.
Carmouche, of San Diego, was originally scheduled to face Roxanne Modaferri on July 13. The UFC is seeking another opponent for Modaferri. Carmouche, who also challenged Ronda Rousey for the bantamweight championship in 2013, has won four of her past five contests.