Julianna Pena and Cat Zingano clash set for UFC 200

A UFC women’s bantamweight matchup between onetime title challenger Cat Zingano (9-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) and “The Ultimate Fighter 18” winner Julianna Pena (7-2 MMA, 3-0 UFC) is set for July’s banner UFC 200 event.

The bout was announced on the UFC’s official Twitter account.

UFC 200 takes place July 9 at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event is headlined by a catchweight rematch between UFC featherweight champ Conor McGregor and Nate Diaz, as well as a women’s bantamweight title fight between champ Miesha Tate and Amanda Nunes.

The event’s main card airs live on pay-per-view with prelims on FOX Sports 1 and UFC Fight Pass.

The Zingano vs. Pena matchup could queue up a new contender in the 135-pound women’s division, with Zingano, the No. 4 ranked fighter in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA women’s bantamweight rankings, returning for the first time since a loss to now ex-champ Ronda Rousey at UFC 184. Pena, the No. 9 fighter, resumes her career after a recent brush with the law.

Pena and her legal reps recently struck a deal with prosecutors in her native Spokane, Wash., after an alleged bar brawl this past December in which she reportedly groin-kicked two bouncers. She was arrested charged with two counts of assault, but this past month was granted a stipulation of continuance, which means the charges will be dropped within one year if she doesn’t have any more run-ins with the law.

As an added condition of her reinstatement with the UFC, Pena agreed to undergo counseling.

So far, the “TUF 18” winner’s only setback has been outside the cage, with a trio of UFC wins marking her post-reality show career. Most recently, she earned a decision over Jessica Eye at UFC 192, afterward calling out Rousey.

Prior to her title loss, Zingano picked up two consecutive UFC wins, most notably over champ Tate in April 2013 at The Ultimate Fighter 17 Finale.

With the addition, the latest UFC 200 card now includes:

• Champ Conor McGregor vs. Nate Diaz – non-title welterweight bout
• Champ Miesha Tate vs. Amanda Nunes – for women’s bantamweight title
• Jose Aldo vs. Frankie Edgar – for interim featherweight title
• Travis Browne vs. Cain Velasquez
• Kelvin Gastelum vs. Johny Hendricks
• Derek Brunson vs. Gegard Mousasi
• Joe Lauzon vs. Diego Sanchez
• Takanori Gomi vs. Jim Miller
• Enrique Marin vs. Sage Northcutt
• Julianna Pena vs. Cat Zingano

For more on UFC 200, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.