Mark your calendars for June as the fierce fighter known as the “Russian Ronda,” Irina Alekseeva, is set to make her return.
Alekseeva (5-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will face off against Klaudia Sygula (6-2 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event scheduled for June 21 at the Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Insiders familiar with the matchup revealed the news to MMA Junkie, with the official announcement from the promotion coming just recently.
In her previous UFC outings, Alekseeva has had mixed results. Following a successful octagon debut where she submitted Stephanie Egger with a kneebar at UFC Fight Night 223, Alekseeva suffered a setback with a unanimous decision loss to Melissa Mullins in October 2023. The fighter faced a 12-month suspension after testing positive for elevated testosterone from a urine sample collected on June 21, 2023, indicating exogenous administration. Alekseeva’s suspension lasted until Oct. 15, 2024, with it being retroactive to the day after her fight.
Meanwhile, Sygula’s UFC debut ended in defeat at the hands of Melissa Mullins in November. The loss put an end to the 26-year-old Polish fighter’s impressive six-fight winning streak.
The current lineup for the event features:
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
- Ismail Naurdiev vs. JunYong Park
- Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Mohammed Usman
- Irina Alekseeva vs. Klaudia Sygula
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