A pair of Swedish women’s bantamweights will collide on April 16, with Pannie Kianzad facing Lina Lansberg in a rematch nearly 10 years in the making.
MMA Junkie today confirmed with a person with knowledge of the booking that the contest is expected to take place at a UFC Fight Night event on April 16. That person requested anonymity because promotion officials have yet to make a formal announcement.
The matchup was first reported by FrontKick.online.
Lansberg currently sits at No. 13 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie women’s bantamweight rankings, while Kianzad is an honorable mention. Kianzad was victorious in their first meeting, a 2012 clash on the Swedish regional scene.
Kianzad (15-6 MMA, 4-3 UFC), a finalist on “The Ultimate Fighter 28” fought most recently in September, suffering a decision loss to Raquel Pennington. The setback snapped a four-fight winning streak for “Banzai,” who had previously scored wins over Alexis Davis, Sijara Eubanks, Bethe Correia and Jessica-Rose Clark.
Meanwhile, Lansberg (10-5 MMA, 4-4 UFC) is also looking to rebound from a loss after falling short on the cards against Sara McMann in January 2020. She now returns from more than two years on the sidelines, during which she gave birth to a daughter.
With the addition to the card, the UFC Fight Night lineup on April 16 includes:
- Vicente Luque vs. Belal Muhammad
- Brandon Jenkins vs. Drakkar Klose
- Miguel Baeza vs. Dhiego Lima
- Chris Barnett vs. Martin Buday
- Pannie Kianzad vs. Lina Lansberg
