Jessamyn Duke vs. Leslie Smith slated for UFC Fight Night 45
A women’s bantamweight bout between Jessamyn Duke (3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) and Leslie Smith (6-5-1 MMA, 0-1 UFC) is the latest addition to next month’s UFC Fight Night 45 card in New Jersey.
UFC officials today announced the bout.
UFC Fight Night 45 takes place July 16 at Revel Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, N.J. Main-card fights air live on FOX Sports 1 following prelims on UFC Fight Pass.
Duke vs. Smith is likely to be part of the prelims.
Duke, a quarterfinalist on “The Ultimate Fighter 18,†fought on the undercard of the reality show’s live finale and earned a decision victory over Peggy Morgan in November. However, in April, the 27-year-old Kentuckian dropped a decision to Bethe Correia and suffered her first official pro loss.
She looks to rebound against Smith, a fellow Invicta FC vet who signed with the UFC earlier this year. Smith, a 31-year-old Californian who won four “Fight of the Night†bonuses in six Invicta FC fights, took a short-notice booking in April at the TUF Nations Finale and rematched former Strikeforce champ Sarah Kaufman. However, she suffered a decision loss to Kaufman for the second time, and she’s now 1-3 in her past four fights.
The latest UFC Fight Night 45 card includes:
Donald Cerrone vs. Jim Miller
John Lineker vs. Alptekin Ozkilic
John Howard vs. Rick Story
Pat Healy vs. Gleison Tibau
Edson Barboza vs. Evan Dunham
Jim Alers vs. Lucas Martins
Aljamain Sterling vs. Hugo Viana
Joe Proctor vs. Justin Salas
Jessamyn Duke vs. Leslie Smith
