Nunes to defend title vs. Pennington at UFC 224 in Rio

Women's bantamweight champion Amanda Nunes will defend her title against Raquel Pennington in the main event of UFC 224 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 12, the promotion announced Thursday.

Nunes (15-4) last fought in September, winning a split decision over Valentina Shevchenko to retain the title. The Brazilian has successfully defended her belt twice since winning it off of Miesha Tate in July 2016.

Pennington (9-5) gets her first career title shot after a rather long layoff, last fighting in November 2016 when she defeated Tate by unanimous decision. She had been expected to face Nunes in December for the title but had those plans derailed by a leg injury.

The fight was reported in February, though it was not clear at the time if it would be the main event.

After women's featherweight champ Cris Cyborg defended her belt at UFC 222 last weekend, company president Dana White said Nunes and Cyborg was "the fight to make," with July date in mind. If Nunes escapes with a win and little damage against Pennington, the champion vs. champion bout could still happen at the intended time.