Karolina Kowalkiewicz will square off against Alexa Grasso in a strawweight bout at UFC 238, promotion officials announced Tuesday.
UFC 238 takes place at the United Center in Chicago on June 8 and is headlined by a showdown between Henry Cejudo and Marlon Moraes for the vacant bantamweight championship. Additionally, reigning flyweight queen Valentina Shevchenko will defend her crown against Jessica Eye. The UFC 238 main card airs on pay-per-view via ESPN+, with prelims available on ESPN and ESPN+.
A former strawweight challenger, Kowalkiewicz is coming off back-to-back Octagon defeats, including a decision setback to Michelle Waterson in her most recent outing at UFC on ESPN 2. The 33-year-old Polish fighter is 5-4 during her promotional tenure, a ledger that includes a win over current champion Rose Namajunas.
Grasso hasn’t competed since May 2018, when she was choked out in the opening stanza by rising contender Tatiana Suarez at UFC Fight Night 129. Since then, the Mexican standout has had multiple fights fall through due to injury, including proposed bookings against Angela Hill and Marina Rodriguez. The 25-year-old Lobo Gym MMA representative is 2-2 in the UFC and 10-2 as a professional overall.