‘Russian Ronda’ Irina Alekseeva booked for UFC debut
The fighter some call “Russian Ronda” has a date and opponent for her UFC debut.
Russia’s Irina Alekseeva will make her first walk to the promotion’s cage at UFC Fight Night 223 when she takes on Stephanie Egger in a flyweight bout, the promotion recently announced. The event takes place April 29 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and streams on ESPN+.
Alekseeva (4-1 MMA, 0-0 UFC), 32, is a three-time silver medalist at the Russian Judo Championships and a Russian and European gold medalist at Sambo Worlds. Additionally, she is a multiple-time “hand-to-hand combat champion.” Her judo expertise has welcomed comparisons to former UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey.
Alekseeva joined the UFC roster this past August after she was released from Bellator, which signed her to a multifight contract in December 2020. Alekseeva fought once for Bellator and won a unanimous decision against Stephanie Page in October 2021. It’s unclear why she and Bellator parted ways after only one appearance.
Egger (8-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC), 34, has won three of her past four bouts. She most recently competed in September when she submitted Ailin Perez with a rear-naked choke.
With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 223 lineup includes:
Arman Tsarukyan vs. Renato Moicano
Caio Borralho vs. Michal Oleksiejczuk
Cody Brundage vs. Rodolfo Vieira
Emily Ducote vs. Polyana Viana
Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima
Ange Loosa vs. Josh Quinlan
Martin Buday vs. Jake Collier
Julian Erosa vs. Fernando Padilla
Natan Levy vs. Pete Rodriguez
Cody Durden vs. Charles Johnson
Irina Alekseeva vs. Stephanie Egger
Brian Kelleher vs. Journey Newson
Hailey Cowan vs. Jamey-Lyn Horth
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 223.
