Karolina Kowalkiewicz’s assignment at UFC 301 is one that no female in company history has ever been tasked with before.
Former UFC title challenger Kowalkiewicz (16-7 MMA, 9-7 UFC) is set to take on surging strawweight prospect Iasmin Lucindo (15-5 MMA, 2-1 UFC) on Saturday at Rio Arena in Rio de Janeiro (pay-per-view, ESPN2, ESPN+), in what will be the largest age gap for a women’s fight ever in the octagon.
Poland’s Kowalkiewicz, 38, is charged with taking on Lucindo, 22, and finding out if the Brazilian is the real deal. Lucindo was just 13 when Kowalkiewicz made her promotional debut in 2015, meaning she has all the youth on her side. Kowalkiewicz has far more high-level fights under her belt, however, and she expects that to play a key role in how the contest plays out.
