Felice Herrig Gets Preferred Opponent With Karolina Kowalkiewicz Clash at UFC 223 in Brooklyn

You can’t always get what you want, but it appears Felice Herrig has done just that.

Herrig will take on former UFC strawweight title challenger Karolina Kowalkiewicz at UFC 223 in a 115-pound affair. MMA Nytt was first to report the contest on Monday. Sherdog.com confirmed the fight with sources close to the bout on Tuesday.

UFC 223 is scheduled for April 7 at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn. No fights have been officially announced yet by the promotion.

Herrig, 33, has won four in a row since her April 2015 unanimous decision loss to Paige VanZant. Following victories over Kailin Curran, Alexa Grasso and Justine Kish, “Lil Bulldog” took a split decision win over Cortney Casey-Sanchez at UFC 218 in December. When asked about future opponents after her victory, Herrig was keen on a meeting with “The Polish Princess.”

“For whatever reason, I really want to fight Karolina,” Herrig told MMAJunkie Radio last month. “I just think that would be an exciting fight. I think it would be fun. Stylistically, I really like that fight. She’s ranked above, and it may be a good gauge for me.”

The 32-year-old Kowalkiewicz started her pro career 10-0 before running into fellow Pole Joanna Jedrzejczyk in her November 2016 UFC title challenge at UFC 205, where she was defeated by unanimous decision. She returned this past June, but was dominated and choked out in the first round by Claudia Gadelha. Kowalkiewicz righted her ship in her native Poland in October, hammering Jodie Esquibel for 15 minutes to earn a unanimous nod.