Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Yan Xiaonan announced for UFC Auckland

Two strawweight contenders headed in opposite directions will meet in New Zealand.

Officials announced Sunday that Karolina Kowalkiewicz (12-5) will fight Yan Xiaonan (11-1, 1 NC) at UFC Auckland on Feb. 22.

In 2019, Kowalkiewicz went 0-2 with decision losses to Alexa Grasso and Michelle Waterson. She has lost three straight dating back to a September 2018 bout with Jessica Andrade, which ended in Kowalkiewicz suffering a first-round knockout. The 34-year-old began her pro career with 10 straight wins before losing a unanimous decision to Joanna Jedrzejczyk in a title fight at UFC 205.

Yan, 30, has yet to taste defeat in the Octagon. The Chinese fighter is 4-0 in the UFC with decision wins over Angela Hill, Syuri Kondo, Viviane Pereira, and Kailin Curran.

UFC Auckland takes place at Spark Arena and will be headlined by a lightweight bout between Paul Felder and New Zealand’s Dan Hooker. The main card will air live on the ESPN+ streaming service.