A new women’s bantamweight match-up is confirmed for UFC 251 as Karol Rosa will take on Vanessa Melo at the pay-per-view in Abu Dhabi on July 11.
Rosa made a very successful debut against Lara Fritzen Procopio at UFC Fight Night 157. That win extended a three-fight winning streak as the bantamweight also beat Tamires Vidal (via submission at MMA Brutus) and Gisele Moreira (via TKO at Future Fighting Championships). Rosa also competed in Favela Kombat, Aspera Fighting Championship, and Haidar Capixaba Combat. Her professional record currently stands at 12 wins and 3 losses.
Melo is in need of a win as the bantamweight has lost two consecutive bouts to Irene Aldana (via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 159) and Tracy Cortez (via unanimous decision at UFC Fight Night 164). Despite her winless record within the UFC thus far, Melo came into the promotion hot by being on a strong five-fighting winning streak. The Brazilian has competed in Battlefield Fighting Championship, Future Fighting Championships, and Xtreme Fighting Championships. Melo’s professional record currently stands at 10 wins and 7 losses.
UFC 251 will take place at Yas Island in Abu Dhabi with Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns for the welterweight title in the main event. Alexander Volkanovski and Max Holloway will fight for the featherweight championship in the co-main event, and Petr Yan and Jose Aldo will compete for the vacant bantamweight title. The placement of the women’s bantamweight bout is currently unknown.