Cynthia Calvillo will not be making her walk to the Octagon at UFC on ESPN+ 13 on July 13 live on ESPN+ from inside Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, Calif., as the promising women’s strawweight contender has been forced to withdraw from her bout with Livia Renata Souza due to a broken foot, per a recent report by MMA Junkie.
While nothing is official at this time, current Invicta FC women’s strawweight champion Brianna van Buren is rumored to step in on short notice against Souza.
Calvillo, 31, is one of the most promising fighters in the growing 115-pound division. The California native was expecting to make her return home for the first time since 2016 but will have to wait even longer. Calvillo will also be putting her title hopes on the back burner as she’ll need six weeks to recover from her broken foot. But considering Calvillo is 5-1 since making her UFC debut back in 2017 she may only need a win or two upon her return to lock down a title shot.
Souza, 28, was hoping to use Calvillo’s name to launch herself into title contention entering the second half of 2019. The surging Brazilian fighter has won her first two Octagon appearances after posting a 4-1 record under the Invicta FC banner, with her lone loss coming against UFC veteran Angela Hill in a close-knit title fight.
If Souza is given the opportunity to stay on the UFC Sacramento card and take her chances against the aforementioned van Buren, it will give her the chance to push her UFC record to 3-0 and prove she’s a future title contender in the division. Van Buren doesn’t hold as much weight as Calvillo does, but she’s still a worthy opponent.
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