Valentina Shevchenko will make the first defense of her flyweight title on June 8 as she faces Jessica Eye at UFC 238 in Chicago.
UFC officials announced the fight on Monday.
? on the line in Chicago!@BulletValentina makes her first title defense against @JessicaEvilEye at #UFC238 June 8! pic.twitter.com/BKVRnFqCga
— UFC (@ufc) March 11, 2019
Shevchenko comes into the contest off a dominant showcase against former UFC strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk last December to win the 125-pound title.
Shevchenko went toe-to-toe with many of the best fighters in the world at bantamweight before moving down to a more natural weight class where she has looked unstoppable in her past two contests at flyweight.
Meanwhile, Eye will get her first shot at UFC gold after a long career with the promotion competing at both bantamweight and flyweight.
The Ohio native was ranked as one of the top 125-pound fighters in the world prior to signing with the UFC where she moved up to bantamweight because the promotion didn’t have a flyweight division at the time.
Since the weight class was introduced, Eye has gone 3-0 including a win over Katlyn Chookagian last year that secured her shot at Shevchenko and the flyweight championship.
While the UFC has made no official announcement, it’s likely that Shevchenko vs. Eye will ultimately serve as the co-main event on the card with the promotion still booking additional fights for the upcoming show in Chicago.
