The lineup for the UFC’s May 8 show continues to build with the addition of a women’s strawweight fight.
Roxanne Modafferi (25-18 MMA, 4-6 UFC) is set to take on Taila Santos (17-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at the event. MMA Junkie confirmed the booking with a person with knowledge of the matchup following an initial report from Combate. The person spoke on condition of anonymity since the UFC has not yet made a formal announcement.
The UFC’s May 8 show, expected to be a “Fight Night” event, does not yet have an announced venue or location. But other than a short run in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2020, the UFC’s Stateside shows have been at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Its overseas shows have been on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.
The Las Vegas-based Modafferi, a women’s MMA pioneer, will be looking for a return to the win column. Taking her fights on Season 26 of “The Ultimate Fighter” out of the equation, Modafferi has alternated wins and losses for 11 straight bouts. After an upset of Andrea Lee this past September, she dropped a decision to Viviane Araujo in January.
After a split decision loss to Mara Borella in her promotional debut a little more than two years ago – the first loss of her pro career – Santos has back-to-back unanimous decision wins. In July 2020, she outworked Molly McCann, then topped Gillian Robertson this past December.
With the addition, the May 8 lineup now includes:
- Donald Cerrone vs. Diego Sanchez
- Zarrukh Adashev vs. Ryan Benoit
- Holly Holm vs. Julianna Pena
- Marcos Rogerio de Lima vs. Maurice Greene
- Christian Aguilera vs. Carlston Harris
- Francisco Figueredo vs. Jimmy Flick
- Roxanne Modafferi vs. Taila Santos
