Two women will headline a UFC card in the promotion's birthplace for the first time ever.
No. 3-ranked Julianna Pena will face No. 2-ranked Valentina Shevchenko in the main event of a UFC on FOX card scheduled for Jan. 28 in Denver. The bout was confirmed Tuesday by the UFC.
Pena has been lobbying for a title fight since defeating Cat Zingano at UFC 200, and a win over Shevchenko would all but guarantee that she's next in line. After defeating Jessica Rakoczy to win season 18 of "The Ultimate Fighter," Pena has gone 3-0 inside the Octagon.
Also in the hunt for a championship belt is Shevchenko, a 28-year-old kickboxer with a 2-1 UFC record. She vaulted into the top three of the rankings after winning a unanimous decision over former women's bantamweight champion Holly Holm in July.
This show will be the UFC's sixth trip to Denver. In 1993, the inaugural UFC event took place in The Mile High City, and the Octagon made its way back a year later for UFC 2. At the time, the concept of MMA was still in its nascent stages and there was zero talk of women competing.
Also confirmed for the Jan. 28 event at Pepsi Center are a middleweight bout between Hector Lombard and Brad Tavares and a lightweight bout between Jason Gonzalez and JC Cottrell.