Michelle Waterson will no longer be competing at the upcoming UFC 257 pay-per-view event.
That’s according to MMA Fighting who confirmed with multiple sources that Waterson is out of her women’s strawweight fight with Amanda Ribas on January 23. The details as to why are undisclosed as of now.
“Details surrounding Waterson’s withdrawal are not public at this time but the former Invicta FC champion will be unable to compete in January as previously scheduled,” the report stated.
Waterson was looking to build on the momentum of her last outing when she earned a split decision win over Angela Hill in September. That victory ended a two-fight losing skid that saw her get outpointed by Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Carla Esparza.
As for Ribas, the surging Brazilian remains undefeated in the UFC as she is 4-0 with the promotion ever since signing in 2019. Her last outing saw her submit Paige VanZant with an armbar at UFC 251 in July.
There’s no word yet on a replacement opponent for Ribas.
UFC 257 takes place January 23 on Abu Dhabi’s Fight Island and will be headlined by the return of Conor McGregor as he meets Dustin Poirier in a rematch in the main event.
Who do you think should step in to fight Ribas?