French featherweight Zarah Fairn will get to compete in her home country for the first time in her MMA career when she faces Ailin Perez at UFC Paris on Sept. 3, multiple sources close to the situation confirmed the news to MMA Fighting.
Fairn (6-4) makes her first walk to the octagon after two cancelled bouts in 2021, when she missed weight for a match with Josiane Nunes and withdrew from a planned bout with Joselyne Edwards.
The 35-year-old talent only fought twice so far under the UFC banner, losing back-to-back bouts to former title contenders Megan Anderson and Felicia Spencer.
Perez (7-1) joins the UFC after winning two fights in a row in 2022, stopping both opponents. A bantamweight champion in her native country of Argentina, “Fiona” fought once as a featherweight, winning via decision in Brazil.
The UFC’s debut in France is expected to feature Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa and Robert Whittaker vs. Marvin Vettori, although the promotion has yet to announce which will get top billing.
Damon Martin contributed to this report.