Michelle Waterson v. Karolina Kowalkiewicz set for UFC Philly

Two of the top female fighters in the UFC are headed to The City of Brotherly Love. After announcing that the UFC will be returning to Philadelphia on March 30th for UFC on ESPN 2, Dana White announced that Michelle Waterson will face off against Karolina Kowalkiewicz. The two are expected to fight at strawweight.

This will be a big test for Waterson (16-6), who is well on her way to becoming a true contender for the strawweight title. Since joining the UFC in 2015, Waterson is 4-2. She is currently on a two-fight win streak, her last bout being a unanimous decision victory over Felice Herrig at UFC 229. Before that, “The Karate Hottie” lost two in a row to current champion Rose Namajunas and Tecia Torres. With nine wins via submission, a win by Waterson, who is number eight in the strawweight rankings, could propel her to the top five.

Her opponent is hoping for a win in order to change her fortunes. At one point destined to be the next challenger for the Strawweight Title, Kowalkiewicz (12-3) was on a two-fight win streak before getting knocked out by Jessica Andrade at UFC 228. Unlike Waterson, Karolina has fought for the title Namajunas holds, when Joanna Jędrzejczyk was champion.

With Andrade scheduled to face Namajunas for the title at UFC 237, these two will have a chance to prove there is more than one reason to invest in the strawweight division.