Canadian Felicia (Feenom) Spencer’s on-again off-again title challenge against UFC featherweight champion Amanda (Lioness) Nunes has been confirmed for UFC 250.
The matchup was announced during Saturday’s broadcast of the UFC 249 undercard in Jacksonville, Fla., with date and location to be determined.
The 145-pound matchup was originally set for May 9 at UFC 250 in Sao Paulo. But the event was postponed when the Brazilian government turned the arena into a COVID-19 field hospital.
There was talk of shifting the bout to Saturday’s rescheduled UFC 249 card but Nunes (19-4-0) said she wanted to wait a while because of COVID-19.
Spencer, a native of Montreal who trains in Orlando, Fla., joins Canadians Alexis (Ally-Gator) Davis and Valerie (Trouble) Letourneau in challenging for UFC women’s titles.
Davis lost to (Rowdy) Ronda Rousey in July 2014 at UFC 175 while Letourneau was beaten by Joanna Jedrzejczyk in November 2015 at UFC 193.
The 31-year-old Nunes, a Brazilian who holds the bantamweight title at 135 pounds, has won 10 straight since being stopped in the third round by Cat Zingano at UFC 178 in September 2014.
In addition to Rousey, the hard-hitting Brazilian has beaten former champion Miesha (Cupcake) Tate, Holly (The Preacher’s Daughter) Holm, Germaine (The Iron Lady) de Randamie and Cris Cyborg along the way.
Spencer (8-1-0) is 2-1 since joining the UFC. She won her debut in May 2019 when she choked out Australian Megan Anderson in Rochester, N.Y., in a matchup of former Invicta FC featherweight champions.
Spencer, 29, lost a unanimous decision to Cyborg last July at UFC 240 in Edmonton. The fight was the first for Cyborg since losing her 145-pound title to Nunes in December 2018.
Cyborg has since moved to the Bellator promotion, dethroning featherweight champion Julia (The Jewel) Budd of Port Moody. B.C., in January.
Spencer bounced back from the Cyborg loss to score a first-round TKO win over France’s Zarah (Infinite) Fairn on Feb. 29 in Norfolk, Va.
U.S. President Donald Trump congratulated UFC for restarting the sports world Saturday night after a nearly two-month hiatus.
Trump’s taped message was played during ESPN’s broadcast of the UFC 249 undercard from a fan-free arena in Jacksonville.
“I want to congratulate (UFC President) Dana White and the UFC,” Trump said.
“They’re going to have a big match. We love it. We think it’s important. Get the sports leagues back. Let’s play. Do the social distancing and whatever else you have to do. We need sports. We want our sports back. Congratulations to Dana White and UFC.”
UFC 249 served as the first major sporting event to take place since the global pandemic shut down much of the country nearly eight weeks ago. It was originally scheduled for April 18 in New York, but was postponed in hopes of helping slow the spread of COVID-19.
— With files by The Associated Press
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