A possible women’s flyweight title eliminator bout looks to be heading to the octagon next month.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans have confirmed to MMA Fighting that a fight between Roxanne Modafferi and Lauren Murphy is in the works for the UFC’s event on June 20. Currently, the event does not have a location, but the promotion is hoping the UFC APEX in Las Vegas will be the home base should COVID-19 restrictions be lifted.
Modafferi has won two of her previous three fights, picking up victories over Antonina Shevchenko and, most recently, Maycee Barber at UFC 246 in one of the most impressive performances of her career. “The Happy Warrior” prepares to make the walk for the 41st time in her professional career and has appeared on The Ultimate Fighter on two different occasions.
Murphy enters the bout winning back-to-back fights, and three of her last four since her appearance on TUF 26. After dropping a unanimous decision to Sijara Eubanks in June 2018, “Lucky” finished Mara Romero Borella in the third-round at UFC Newark. Murphy kicked off her 2020 campaign with a split decision win over Andrea Lee at UFC 247 in February.
Both fighters have continuously expressed interest in fighting each other over the last several months, including recent appearances on MMA Fighting’s The A-Side.
As of now, there is no official main event for the card. Originally, the June 20 event was scheduled to take place in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, with a heavyweight headliner between Curtis Blaydes and Alexander Volkov, but plans have changed amid the COVID-19 pandemic.