MMA
Deiveson Figueiredo vs. Cody Garbrandt, Valentina Shevchenko vs. Jennifer Maia slated for UFC 255 on Nov. 21
Nov. 21 will be a huge night for the UFC's flyweight division.
On Friday, UFC president Dana White confirmed with ESPN that both male flyweight champion Deiveson Figueiredo and female flyweight titleholder Valentina Shevchenko will be defending their titles at UFC 255 on Nov. 21.
Figueiredo will clash with former bantamweight champ Cody Garbrandt, while Shevchenko will face Jennifer Maia. The order of the bouts nor the card's location has been decided as of press time, also according to ESPN.
Figueiredo (19-1) snatched the then-vacant title with a first-round submission of Joseph Benavidez last month and has been on a four-fight winning streak overall. He'll face a battle-tested Garbrandt (12-3), who snapped a three-fight skid with a second-round KO of Raphael Assunção in June. This bout will mark Garbrandt's first fight at 125 pounds.
Meanwhile, Shevchenko (19-3) has been on an absolute tear, having won five straight fights since losing to Amanda Nunes for the second time in September 2017. Her last time out, Shevchenko dispatched Katlyn Chookagian via third-round TKO (elbows and punches).
She'll face a game Maia (18-6-1), who's fresh off of a first-round submission of Joanne Calderwood on Aug. 1.
Calderwood was supposed to challenge Shevchenko for the flyweight crown but gambled by accepting a bout against Maia, who upset her.
