Vanessa Melo vs. Karol Rosa Set for UFC 251

Mandatory Credit: USA TODAY Sports 

An all-Brazilian bantamweight bout is confirmed for UFC 251 on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, UAE. South American duo, Vanessa 'Miss Simpatia' Melo, and Karol Rosa are slated to meet on 'Fight Island' at the July 11th. event.

Melo, 32, will attempt to earn her first win in the promotion, following a loss to Tracey Cortez at UFC Fight Night São Paulo last November. Rosa, on the other hand, will make her first Octagon appearance since UFC Fight Night Shenzhen in August of last year, where she defeated Lara Procópio. A meeting between Rosa and Julia Avila has fallen to the wayside four times since Rosa's last walk.

Both Melo and Rosa were originally scheduled to meet before either of them featured in the UFC - during their May tenure in regional promotion, Future MMA last year. News of the pairing was first penned by Combate reporter, Raphael Marinho.

Prior to her decision loss to Cortez, Melo stood opposite perennial bantamweight challenger, Irene Aldana - also dropping a unanimous judging, to begin her Octagon stint with two consecutive losses. The defeat marked Melo's first in five-outings, which included wins over veteran, Jan Finney, and Daiane Firmino. A meeting between Melo, who plys her trade at Babuino Gold Team and Sarah Alpar was set for UFC Fight Night Oklahoma City in May - until the entire event was shelved amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

With a 12-3 professional record, Espirito Santo-based Rosa, looks to remain promotional perfect, following her above-noted win over Procópio, Currently riding a three-fight winning run, Rosa added Procópio to victories over Gisele Moreira and Tamires Vidal on the Brazilian regional circuit. In just her fourth professional outing, Rosa met with future UFC strawweight champion, compatriot, Jéssica Andrade - emerging with a decision win. The two will subsequently share the UFC 251 card in Abu Dhabi.