Valentina Shevchenko vs. Liz Carmouche rematch to headline UFC Uruguay

Only two women have defeated Valentina Shevchenko in MMA. Liz Carmouche is one of them, and she’ll get the chance to do it again this summer.

The UFC announced Thursday that Shevchenko will defend her flyweight title against Carmouche in the main event of the promotion’s debut in Uruguay on Aug. 10. This will be a rematch of a September 2010 encounter that Carmouche won by second-round TKO (doctor stoppage).

ESPN was first to report the matchup. Carmouche was originally scheduled to fight Roxanne Modafferi at UFC San Antonio, but Modafferi will now face Jennifer Maia instead.

After losing to Carmouche, Shevchenko (17-3) went on to win 10 of her next 12 fights. Her two UFC losses have both been against Amanda Nunes at 135 pounds, including a close five-round split decision loss in a title bout at UFC 215. Shevchenko is 3-0 since returning to the 125-pound division. Most recently, she defeated Jessica Eye by second-round knockout to record her first UFC title defense.

Carmouche (13-6) will be entering her second UFC title fight. Along with Ronda Rousey, Carmouche made history back in February 2013 when they headlined UFC 157 in what was the promotion’s first-ever women’s fight. Carmouche lost that bantamweight women’s championship bout by submission late in the opening round.

She moved down to 125 pounds in December 2017, losing a split call to Alexis Davis. However, Carmouche has since rebounded with back-to-back wins over Lucie Pudilova and Maia, a former Invicta FC champion. Carmouche is the only fighter to have finished Shevchenko.

UFC Uruguay takes place on Aug. 10 at Antel Arena in Montevideo, Uruguay. The main card will air on the ESPN+ streaming service.