Today the UFC announced that their second event on the ESPN channel will be taking place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The event got its first bout in a strawweight affair between top prospects Alexa Grasso (10-2) and Marina Rodriguez (10-0-1) after it was moved from UFC Fortaleza due to a Rodriguez injury.
However, we now know the second official matchup and it too will take place at 115-pounds. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto confirmed that top 10 contenders Karolina Kowalkiewicz (12-3) and “The Karate Hottie” Michelle Waterson (16-6) will square off at the March 30 event.
Breaking: Michelle Waterson vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz will take place on the March 30 UFC Fight Night card in Philadelphia, per Dana White. pic.twitter.com/COzbs87tXd
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) January 9, 2019
“Breaking: Michelle Waterson vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz will take place on the March 30 UFC Fight Night card in Philadelphia, per Dana White.” Okamoto tweeted.
For Waterson, she currently rides the best streak of her UFC career after winning two straight over the likes of Cortney Casey and Felice Herrig.
The highly touted Karolina Kowalkiewicz, on the other hand, has gone in the opposite direction as she has lost three of her last five with her last fight being a devastating knockout loss to the next title challenger Jessica Andrade. This was Kowalkiewicz’ first time being knocked out.
As both Kowalkiewicz and Waterson are known for their striking, the fight will surely show that. If anyone looks to take things to the ground, it will likely be the submission savvy Waterson who has several wins in that fashion.
This is a big fight for both fighters as Waterson looks to keep climbing the ladder while one of Poland’s finest in Kowalkiewicz looks to rebound off a tough loss and keep her place in the ever-changing talent pool that is the 115-pound division.
The main event has yet to be announced for UFC Philadelphia.
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 1/8/2019