Stephanie Luciano vs. Julia Polastri Booked for UFC on ESPN 53 on March 23

A strawweight clash pitting Stephanie Luciano (5-1) against Julia Polastri (12-3) has been added to UFC on ESPN 53.

The news was first reported by Ag.Fight.Prior to the booking of this matchup, both women were set to face separate opponents in the same month. Luciano was initially slated to take on Shauna Bannon on the same card, while Polastri was gearing up for a meeting with undefeated prospect Josefine Lindgren Knutsson on March 2. However, with the other bouts falling apart due to undisclosed reasons, Luciano and Polastri are now set to battle inside the Octagon.

Both fighters will make their UFC debuts after earning their way into the promotion through Dana White's Contender Series. Luciano will enter the Octagon on the heels of a unanimous draw against Talita Alencar in their DWCS 2023 Week 7 clash in September last year. Prior to that, the Brazilian was on a two-fight winning streak in Jungle Fight.

On the other hand, Polastri will face off against Luciano coming off a Round 2 submission victory over Patricia Alujas in their DWCS 2023 Week 3 meeting in September. The 25-year-old will enter the Octagon on a four-fight win streak, with three of those wins coming by way of finish.

UFC on ESPN 53 takes place on March 23 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas and will be headlined by a women’s flyweight matchup pitting Amanda Ribas against former strawweight queen Rose Namajunas.