Montano defends flyweight belt against Shevchenko in Dallas

After a stirring run on The Ultimate Fighter that culminated in her being crowned the first women’s flyweight champion in UFC history, Nicco Montano will defend her crown for the first time on September 8, as she battles the No. 1 contender Valentina Shevchenko in a UFC 228 bout at American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.

Also made official on Wednesday were the following matchups…

In a highly anticipated clash of rising stars in the featherweight division, Zabit Magomedsharipov puts his unbeaten UFC record on the line against Mexico’s Yair Rodriguez.

Strawweight contenders will collide in a pair of intriguing bouts, as Jessica Andrade faces Karolina Kowalkiewicz and the division’s first champion, Carla Esparza, meets Ultimate Fighter winner Tatiana Suarez.

The bantamweights will also take center stage in the “Lone Star State” this September, with Aljamain Sterling squaring off against Cody Stamann while Jimmie Rivera battles John Dodson.

And it wouldn’t be a show in Dallas without three of the city’s finest mixed martial artists in action, as Ryan Benoit meets Houston’s Roberto Sanchez, Charles Byrd faces Darren Stewart, and Geoff Neal takes on three-time Fight of the Night winner Frank Camacho.

Tickets for UFC 228, which airs live on Pay-Per-View, go on sale on July 27.

Stay tuned to UFC.com for more fight card announcements.