Former bantamweight champion Holly Holm will make her return to the Octagon against Mexican contender Irene Aldana on Aug. 1, sources said.
The UFC originally planned to promote a pay-per-view event on Aug. 1, but that particular date has since been changed to a UFC Fight Night. It is expected to take place at the UFC’s Apex facility in Las Vegas, absent a live audience.
Holm (13-5) is coming off a unanimous decision win against Raquel Pennington at UFC 246 in January. The 38-year-old fought for the 145-pound featherweight championship twice in 2017 but came up short to Germaine de Randamie and Cris “Cyborg” Justino. Holm returned to her natural 135-pound weight class for a title shot in 2019 and lost to Amanda Nunes.
A former boxing champion, Holm is 3-5 in her past eight bouts. However, all but one of those losses came in a UFC title fight. The only non-title loss she suffered was to current flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko.
Aldana (12-5), of Guadalajara, Mexico, has won five of her past six, including a first-round stoppage of the previously unbeaten Ketlen Vieira in December.
A middleweight bout between undefeated prospect Edmen Shahbazyan (11-0) and Derek Brunson (20-7) has also been agreed to for the Aug. 1 event, sources said. The bout was previously scheduled to take place on March 7 and then April 11, but was moved both times for various reasons.
Shahbazyan is considered one of the best prospects in the sport. The 22-year-old trains out of Glendale Fighting Club in California, the gym made famous by former female bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey. The since-retired Rousey now manages Shahbazyan.
Shahbazyan is 4-0 in the UFC and, much like his famous manager, has made a habit of ending his fights early. He has recorded nine first-round finishes in his career.
Brunson is on a two-fight win streak after suffering back-to-back defeats to Ronaldo “Jacare” Souza and current champion Israel Adesanya in 2018.