Montano defends Flyweight title against Shevchenko at UFC 228

Bengaluru, July 19: UFC women's flyweight champion Nicco Montano defends the belt against the No. 1 contender Valentina Shevchenko at UFC 228 in American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas on September 8.

For the first time, Montano will defend her crown which she won at the UFC's inaugural women's 125-pound championship bout this past December after a successful run on The Ultimate Fighter.

The 29-year-old defeated Lauren Murphy, Montana Stewart and Barb Honchak before beating Roxanne Modafferi in the finale. All her wins were via unanimous decision.

In her last appearance, Shevchenko became the No. 1 contender in the newly-formed division after she earned a dominant victory over Priscila Cachoeira in February on her flyweight debut.

The multiple-time Muay Thai and kickboxing world champion nearly became the UFC women's bantamweight champion in 2017 at UFC 215 in Edmonton but was on the wrong end of a split decision against current champ Amanda Nunes.

"I would greatly like to slap the guy in his face." The beef will finally be settled in Dallas when @FunkMaster_UFC meets @CodyStamann on Sept 8 at UFC 228. ⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/CQN4a3iVnp

— UFC News (@UFCNews) July 18, 2018

The UFC on Wednesday (July 18) also announced several more matchups. First up, the unbeaten Zabit Magomedsharipov meets Mexico's Yair Rodriguez in a highly anticipated clash of rising stars in the featherweight division.

Meanwhile, women's strawweight contenders are also set to meet in a pair of intriguing bouts, as Jessica Andrade faces Karolina Kowalkiewicz and the division's first champion, Carla Esparza, meets Ultimate Fighter winner Tatiana Suarez.

The bantamweights will also take center stage in the "Lone Star State" this September, with Aljamain Sterling squaring off against Cody Stamann while Jimmie Rivera battles John Dodson.

And it wouldn't be a show in Dallas without three of the city's finest mixed martial artists in action, as Ryan Benoit meets Houston's Roberto Sanchez, Charles Byrd faces Darren Stewart, and Geoff Neal takes on three-time Fight of the Night winner Frank Camacho.

This is how the UFC 228 card looks for now,

Women's Flyweight title bout: Nicco Montano vs. Valentina Shevchenko

Women's Strawweight bout: Karolina Kowalkiewicz vs. Jessica Andrade

Women's Strawweight bout: Carla Esparza vs. Tatiana Suarez

Bantamweight bout: Aljamain Sterling vs. Cody Stamann

Bantamweight bout: John Dodson vs. Jimmie Rivera

Featherweight bout: Yair Rodriguez vs. Zabit Magomedsharipov

Flyweight bout: Ryan Benoit vs. Roberto Sanchez

Middleweight bout: Charles Byrd vs. Darren Stewart

Welterweight bout: Geoff Neal vs. Frank Camacho

(With inputs from UFC.com)