UFC 230, which goes down on November 3 in New York City, could finally have a main event, per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto. According to Okamoto’s report, Valentina Shevchenko will battle Sijara Eubanks for the vacant UFC flyweight title in the card’s headliner, as reported by BJ Penn.com.
BREAKING: Valentina Shevchenko vs. Sijara Eubanks for the vacant flyweight tile will headline UFC 230 on Nov. 3 in Madison Square Garden, per multiple sources.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 2, 2018
The announcement of this bout comes as a definite surprise, as Valentina Shevchenko had been previously scheduled to battle former strawweight champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk for the flyweight belt at UFC 231 in Toronto this December.
Valentina Shevchenko will enter this UFC 230 title fight having not fought since February, when she battled Priscila Cachoeira to a brutal, second-round submission. This win was preceded by a close decision loss to reigning women’s bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes.
Sijara Eubanks, meanwhile, last fought in June, when she defeated Lauren Murphy by decision. This win was preceded by a loss to Aspen Ladd in the Invicta cage.
Unfortunately, many in the MMA community were not thrilled when the news broke.
Flip the page to see Twitter reactions to the main event announcement.