The UFC is currently working on an exciting matchup for the Scandinavian market as Swedish rivals Pannie ”Banzai” Kianzad and Lina ”Elbow Queen” Lansberg look to square off in the women’s bantamweight division.
Both parties have agreed to fight on the UFC Fight Night event on April 16th, Frontkick.online confirmed with sources. The card will be headlined by top-ranked welterweights Vicente Luque and Belal Muhammad as previously reported by ESPN.
In conjunction with the new booking, Kianzad revealed on Instagram that she’s also signed a new deal with the UFC.
Kianzad vs. Lansberg is a big fight among fans in the Nordic region as it’s just the third time where two Swedish UFC fighters are pitted against each other inside the octagon.
Pannie Kianzad defeated Lina Lansberg back in 2012
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Pannie Kianzad and Lina Lansberg have fought previously on the regional scene, with Kianzad coming out on top after securing the victory by third-round TKO back in December of 2012. A rematch has since been suggested for years but never materialized until now.
Looking at the official UFC rankings, Kianzad and Lansberg are currently listed right next to each other as Lansberg is ranked at No. 11 while Kianzad is ranked at No. 12. However, Kianzad is ranked at No. 1 in the official Swedish MMA rankings administered by Frontkick.online, where Lansberg is listed at second place in the women’s bantamweight division.
Needless to say, there’s certainly some debate to be had as to who really is the best.
”Elbow Queen” to make UFC return after giving birth
Pannie Kianzad and Lina Lansberg are both looking to get back to the win column after suffering decision losses to former title contenders in their most recent outings.
Kianzad last fought Raquel Pennington and lost by unanimous decision, snapping a four-fight win streak after three competitive rounds. Lansberg had a rougher outing last time around where she got dominated by Sara McMann, losing via unanimous decision which included both a 30-26 and a 30-25 scorecard in favor of the American.
Before the loss, Lansberg had won two fights in a row. She’s since been absent from competition for almost two years due to pregnancy but is now getting ready to return after giving birth to her daughter back in March of 2021.
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