Ex-UFC title challenger reportedly set to try and snap losing skid in Rio

Originally posted on MMA on SI | By Drew Beaupre | Last updated Jul 21, 2025 2:33 PM ET

(Zuffa LLC)

A former UFC title challenger will reportedly try to secure her first win since 2023 against a fighter more than ten years her junior.

Combat sports fans have celebrated the fact that the UFC will be on the road for the majority of its remaining 2025 schedule, and the promotion is set to return to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for a UFC Fight Night event on October 11.

The card will take place in between UFC 320 in Las Vegas and another UFC Fight Night event in Vancouver, Canada, and while it won’t be as stacked as last year’s UFC 301 PPV the card will almost certainly feature plenty of Brazilian talent.

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Julia Polastri vs. Karolina Kowalkiewicz Targeted For UFC Rio

There’s still plenty of time for the UFC to start filling out the event on October 11, and Ag Fight reports that the promotion is working on a strawweight matchup between Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Julia Polastri.

A two-time veteran of Dana White’s Contender Series, Brazil’s Polastri came up short in her first DWCS opportunity against current top-ranked women’s flyweight contender Jasmine Jasudavicius in 2021 before she returned to submit Patricia Alujas and earn a UFC contract in 2023.

(Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC)

“Psycho” dropped a decision to Josefine Knutsson in her UFC debut before taking a split decision over Cory McKenna for her first Octagon victory, but in her last outing Polastri fell to 1-2 in the promotion with a loss to Lupita Godinez.

Karolina Kowalkiewicz Not Far Removed From 4-Fight Win Streak

Now in her tenth year with the UFC, Kowalkiewicz joined the promotion as an undefeated talent in 2015 and scored three-straight wins to set up an all-Polish strawweight title bout with UFC Hall of Famer Joanna Jędrzejczyk at UFC 205.

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Kowalkiewicz dropped a decision to Jędrzejczyk before being submitted by former title challenger Cláudia Gadelha, and while she initially rebounded with back-to-back wins the Polish standout proceeded to lose five-straight fights from late 2018 to 2021.

The 37-year-old snapped her losing skid against Felice Herrig in 2022 to begin what turned into an impressive four-fight winning streak. That run was halted last year with back-to-back losses to Denis Gomes and Iasmin Lucindo, and now Kowalkiewicz will have a chance to prove that she’s still an elite strawweight when she takes on the significantly-younger Polastri in Rio on October 11.