Cris Cyborg will fight for a title in her Bellator debut.
Cyborg, the former UFC women's featherweight champion, will challenge Bellator women's featherweight champ Julia Budd on Jan. 25 at The Forum in Inglewood, California, sources confirmed with ESPN on Friday. The Los Angeles Times was the first to report the news.
Bellator has yet to formally announce the bout, but an announcement is expected Saturday night during the Bellator 228 card.
Earlier this month, Cyborg left the UFC as a free agent and signed with Bellator. Cyborg, whose real name is Cristiane Justino, is regarded as one of the best women's fighters of all time.
Her rocky three-year run with the UFC ended after she beat Felicia Spencer at UFC 240 in July. Following a falling out with UFC president Dana White, White announced in August that the UFC would not be re-signing Cyborg and she was free to sign elsewhere.
Cyborg (21-2, 1 NC) has just one loss going back to her pro debut in 2005. That defeat came by first-round knockout against Amanda Nunes at UFC 232 last December. Cyborg, 34, has 17 finishes in 21 career victories and was long one of the most dominant fighters -- man or woman -- in all of MMA. The Brazilian slugger owns wins over the likes of Holly Holm, Gina Carano and Tonya Evinger.
Budd (13-2) has won 11 in a row and has been Bellator's most dominant women's fighter. The Canada native has been Bellator's women's featherweight champion since 2017 and has finished three of her last four victories.
Budd, 36, has just two losses in her career, against Ronda Rousey and Nunes, both in Strikeforce in 2011. Those were the former kickboxer's fourth and second career MMA bouts, respectively.