LAS VEGAS – Jessica-Rose Clark jumped at the opportunity to face a familiar foe in Pannie Kianzad.
She will take on Kianzad at UFC on ESPN+ 21 in Moscow on Nov. 9 and have the opportunity to avenge a previous loss. The two fought in 2015 in Invicta FC, where Kianzad defeated Clark via unanimous decision.
And while Clark admits she was targeting someone else for her next bout, Kianzad was definitely got on her radar when she was recently signed to the UFC.
“I didn’t personally request Pannie (Kianzad),” Clark told MMA Junkie. “I actually wanted to fight Nicco Montano but the time frame didn’t work for her so when Pannie got signed to the UFC, even though she got signed at 145, when that happened, I knew I was going to get my rematch. It is one that I’ve been wanting for a long time.”
When offered the fight, Clark, who will be making the move back up to 135 pounds, did not hesitate.
“As soon as they said ‘what about Pannie,’ I was like ‘(expletive) it, done,'” Clark said. “I didn’t care where it was, I didn’t care what the time frame was, then they were like, what about Moscow? I’m like sick, I’ve never been to Russia either.”
Clark (9-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) was forced to pull out of her initial bantamweight debut at UFC 237 vs. Talita Bernardo, due to a broken foot. She underwent surgery, and sees the fight with Kianzad, as the perfect fight to come back to, as she’s already been in there with her before.
“It always feels like the perfect fight to come back off an injury on because I’ve already have fought Pannie,” Clark said. “I’ve fought her years ago. Even though I lost to her, it’s not like I’m not going into a fight like completely without any knowledge. I have experienced what it’s like to fight her before so I feel like that gives me a little extra confidence to what I usually feel.”
