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TORONTO — Veteran Canadian bantamweight Alexis Davis will step into the Octagon for the 13th time when she takes on Sweden’s Pannie (Banzai) Kianzad next month at UFC 263.
The main event of the June 12 card at the Gila River Arena in Glendale, Ariz., sees Israel (The Last Stylebender) Adesanya defend his middleweight title against Marvin (The Italian Dream) Vettori, ranked third among 185-pound contenders.
The 36-year-old Davis, a native of Port Colborne, Ont. who now makes her home in California, is coming off a dominant Feb. 27 win by decision over Sabina (Colombian Queen) Mazo.
It marked Davis’s first fight in 19 months, a delay prompted by shoulder surgery in early 2020. The win snapped a three-fight losing streak.
Davis (20-10-0) had her first pro fight in 2007, competing in Strikeforce and Invicta FC before moving to the UFC in 2013.
Davis fought for the bantamweight at UFC 175 in July 5, 2014, losing by KO to (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey in 16 seconds.
The five-foot-six Davis is 7-5-0 in the UFC. She has fought primarily as a bantamweight (135 pounds) although she has fought four times in the UFC as a flyweight (125 pounds).
Kianzad (14-5-0), a 29-year-old born in Iran who is ranked 11th among UFC bantamweights, is on a three-fight win streak after losing her first two UFC outings to Julia (Raging Panda) Avila and Macy Chiasson. The loss to Chiasson came in the final of Season 28 of “The Ultimate Fighter” reality TV show.
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This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2021.
Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press