Two of the best — and most well-known — women’s flyweight fighters in the world are set to collide this summer.
Roxanne Modafferi and Barb Honchak will meet at the TUF 27 Finale on July 6 in Las Vegas, MMA Fighting confirmed Thursday. The Las Vegas Review-Journal was the first to report the news.
Modafferi and Honchak were supposed to face each other at the TUF 26 Finale in December, following both of them being contestants on The Ultimate Fighter 26. But Modafferi ended up fighting Nicco Montaño for the inaugural UFC women’s flyweight title when Montaño’s original opponent, Sijara Eubanks, ended up in the hospital due to a weight cut gone wrong.
Modafferi (21-14) lost by unanimous decision to Montaño in that bout, a hard-fought five-round war. “The Happy Warrior” fell previously to Eubanks in the semifinals of the TUF 26 title tournament. Modafferi, 35, was on a two-fight winning streak in Invicta FC coming onto the show and won fights in the first round and quarterfinals on TUF 26.
Honchak (10-3) stayed on the TUF 26 Finale card in December when Modafferi got bumped up. She fell to Lauren Murphy by split decision in a very close fight. The former Invicta flyweight champion came onto the show after a three-year layoff from MMA. Honchak, 38, fell to Montaño in the TUF 26 title tournament semifinals.
Also added to the TUF 27 Finale card, per the Review-Journal, was a bout between two other TUF 26 contestants — Rachael Ostovich vs. Montana de la Rosa. Former Dana White’s Tuesday Night Contender Series star Julian Marquez will face Alessio Di Chirico as well, the paper reported.
No main event has been set yet for the TUF 27 Finale, which will be held at the Palms Casino Resort. The final of the Ultimate Fighter 27 tournament, featuring all undefeated fighters, will take place on that card.