Former World Boxing Council and International Boxing Federation champion Ava Knight is taking her talents to MMA.

Sporting an 18-2-5 record in boxing, Knight (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will debut at next month’s Bellator 228 against Tennessee’s Shannon Goughary (3-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA).

A promotion official confirmed the news with MMA Junkie on Saturday following an initial report from the Chico Enterprise-Record.

Bellator 228 takes place Sept. 28 at The Forum in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles. The main card streams on DAZN following prelims on MMA Junkie.

A member of Mayweather Promotions, Knight earned the nickname “The Lady of Boxing” from her coach, Joe Rodriguez, for her polite and professional demeanor. The 30-year-old boxer has competed in the professional ranks since 2007.

Over the span of her 12-year pro career, Knight has held numerous titles including the WBC, IBF, and IFBA straps. Additionally, Knight was the first American female to earn the WBC diamond belt. In her last match in May, Knight defeated Crystal Hoy by unanimous decision under the Lank Promotions banner.

Knight joins Ana Julaton and Heather Hardy as the third major female boxing champion to make the jump to Bellator. Even though her next bout will be in a cage, Knight isn’t done competing in the boxing ring.

“Even though it’s something different,” Knight told the Enterprise-Record. “I’m still going to box. I’m glad I get to keep that part of me. I get to try to be great at other things that a lot of other people won’t ever get to do in their lifetime.”

She later added, “I would love to stay with Bellator and continue to be a champion for them. We still have big plans in boxing. With MMA and boxing together, I get to do a big thing for women in sports. Not saying that nobody has done it, but nobody like me has done it.”

Her opponent, Goughary, has competed for several notable regional promotions including Island Fights, Valor Fights, and Xtreme Knockout (XKO). The 33-year-old fighter has struggled lately, winning only one of her last four outings. All three of her victories have come inside the distance.

With the addition to the card, Bellator 228 now includes:

MAIN CARD (DAZN, 10 p.m. ET)

Champ Patricio Freire vs. Juan Archuleta – for featherweight title, featherweight tournament opening round

Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi

Darrion Caldwell vs. Henry Corrales – featherweight tournament opening round

Saul Rogers vs. Daniel Weichel – featherweight tournament opening round

Georgi Karakhanyan vs. A.J. McKee – featherweight tournament opening round

PRELIMINARY CARD (MMA Junkie, 6:45 p.m. ET)