Holly Holm vs. Valentina Shevchenko Will Main Event UFC Fight Night in July

It's been confirmed Holly Holm will make her return to the Octagon on July 23, and she is scheduled to headline a UFC Fight Night event in Chicago—UFC on Fox 20—where she'll take on Valentina Shevchenko.

Fox Sports' Damon Martin reported Sunday that the former women's bantamweight champion will face Shevchenko in her first bout since surrendering the title to Miesha Tate at UFC 196.

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The UFC Fight Night card in Chicago is shaping up to be an entertaining one, too, with Anthony Johnson facing Glover Teixeira, while Edson Barboza will go up against Gilbert Melendez in a lightweight showdown.  

Shevchenko holds a 12-2 professional record in mixed martial arts, including one win and one loss in the UFC, with her most recent result being a unanimous-decision defeat to current No. 1 contender Amanda Nunes—also at UFC 196.

With both fighters coming off defeats, both Holm and Shevchenko will be eager to impress in their next outing at UFC on Fox 20, where it's also encouraging to see a women's clash as another main event.

Some viewed Shevchenko as something of a surprise name when rumours arose of her bout opposite Holm, and MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani claimed this fixture wasn't even the UFC's secondary choice:

Holm's loss to Tate in March blew the bantamweight division wide open, and with question marks over Ronda Rousey's fighting future, we may yet see a rematch between Rowdy and the Preacher's Daughter.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Snowden has said Shevchenko could be a dangerous matchup for Holm and hinted the UFC may be trying to avoid a second meeting between Rousey and Holm:

"

A really tough striker. Maybe UFC is hoping if they can hang two losses on Holm Rousey will never have to fight her? https://t.co/ZjW97pRlEh

— Jonathan Snowden (@JESnowden) May 5, 2016"

Some may look upon Shevchenko as a lesser fit for Holm, who was not so long ago competing in the UFC's biggest spotlight, but it's worth noting the Kyrgyzstan native has 14 professional MMA fights compared to Holm's 11.

Holm will also be confident of recovering her former place in the limelight considering it was only an error in the fifth round of her bout with Tate that led to her defeat via rear-naked choke, per JOE.ie:

The Ultimate Fighting Championship deserves some credit for pitching Holm and Shevchenko's fight as the main event ahead of Rumble's clash with Teixeira, a meeting that promises some fireworks.

Holm's hopes of making it back to the division's pinnacle begin on July 23, but Shevchenko will be no pushover in allowing her to recover her former status as a bantamweight belt contender.