IT will be the Elbow Queen versus the Peacemaker in Glasgow this July as Lina Lansberg and Leslie Smith will come together in the latest Ultimate Fighting Championship blockbuster to hit Scotland.
HeraldSport can exclusively reveal Lansberg and Smith will go head to head in the Octagon on July 16 at the SSE Hydro in what will be a crucial night in the careers of both women in the bantamweight division.
While the main draw so far for the home crowd to only Scotland’s second UFC showpiece will undoubtedly be the homecoming appearances of Joanne Calderwood and Stevie Ray - not to mention the Glasgow debut of Airdrie man Paul Craig - fight fans will be eager to see who prevails in this must-win bout at 135lbs.
Both fighters come to Glasgow knowing the importance of a victory. The win ratio for each fighter currently stands at 50 per cent, and a win – or indeed a defeat – could go a long way to altering the trajectory of their path in the competition.
The 35-year-old Lansberg, known affectionately as the ‘Elbow Queen’, has a professional MMA record of seven wins and two losses. However, since making her UFC debut in September 2016, Lina has won one and lost one of her fights. In her debut fight, Lina lost to Cris Cyborg via knockout in the main event in Brazil.
She last competed inside the Octagon in March this year at UFC Fight Night: Manuwa vs. Anderson, which took place at The O? in London. There, the Swede earned a win over Lucie Pudilova via a unanimous decision.
For Peacemaker Smith, the American’s experience in the UFC has brought success and failure in equal measure. Despite a career record of nine wins, seven defeats and one draw, three years in the UFC she has notched up three wins and three defeats. Her saving grace is that in her last outing back in December last year at UFC Fight Night: Van Zant vs. Waterson in California, she earned a win over Irene Aldana via unanimous decision and a “fight of the night” bonus in the process.
Scottish icon Calderwood will take on Cynthia Calvillo at the Hydro on the same card, Lanarkshire fighter Craig is looking to record his first UFC when he goes up against Khalil Rountree, while Kirkcaldy's Ray will face Paul Felder.
Tickets for UFC FIGHT NIGHT: NELSON VS. PONZINIBBIO go on sale to the general public on Friday, June 2 at 10:00 a.m. BST via Ticketmaster.
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