Sijara Eubanks has received her wish of still fighting at UFC 230, title shot or not.
Sijara Eubanks will fight at UFC 230 after all — just not for the women’s flyweight title.
Eubanks, a top-three flyweight, is set to face former title challenger Roxanne Modafferi in a rematch next month, Newsday reported Wednesday afternoon.
Eubanks and Modafferi first fought in the semifinals of The Ultimate Fighter 26 last year. Eubanks won by three-round decision.
Eubanks was briefly scheduled to meet Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant title in the UFC 230 main event, but after the UFC booked Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis, the fight was pulled from the card. Eubanks expressed her frustration in a series of tweets after she found out the news, calling UFC president Dana White and matchmaker Mick Maynard “cowards.”
Before the Shevchenko matchup had been put together, Eubanks was scheduled to fight Jessica Eye at the year-end show. Eye is currently without an opponent. Shevchenko is scheduled to fight Joanna Jedrzecjzyk at UFC 231 for the vacant belt.
Eubanks made it to the TUF 26 final, where she was expected to fight Nicco Montano for the inaugural flyweight title, but she was forced out of the bout during fight week due to weight-cutting issues. Eubanks has since defeated veteran Lauren Murphy by decision.
Modafferi replaced Eubanks against Montano, and lost at the show’s finale last December by unanimous decision. Earlier this year, Modafferi rebounded from the title loss with a victory over women’s MMA pioneer Barb Honchak.
UFC 230 takes place Nov. 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The heavyweight title fight between champ Cormier and Lewis headlines the card.
