Following a layoff of over a year, former Strikeforce champion Sarah Kaufman (17–4 (1)) has announced her return to action. After posting that a fight announcement was pending on her official Twitter yesterday, MMAFighting’s Ariel Helwani confirmed the news, and promotion, today. Kaufman, per the report, has signed on with Battleground, a new, South Korean-based promotion not to be confused with Battlegrounds MMA.
Kaufman will make her debut with the company in March. An opponent has not yet been named for the bout.
Last appearing with the UFC in a loss to current bantamweight title contender Valentina Shevchenko, Kaufman held the Strikeforce women’s bantamweight championship (then known as the welterweight championship) back in 2010. The inaugural title holder in Strikeforce’s 135lb weight class, she would defend the strap once before losing it to Marloes Coenen later that year. She would challenge Ronda Rousey for her lost title at Strikeforce: Rousey vs. Kaufman in August 2012, but succumb to the arm-bar.
In the UFC, the Canadian bantamweight’s career struggled to gain momentum, as she went 1-2 (1 NC) over the course of four fights. Following her loss to Shevchenko in December 2015, the UFC did not renew her contract. The March appearance with Battleground will be her first fight since that bout.
