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An intriguing women’s Strawweight match up between former division champion Carla Esparza and fast-rising contender, Amanda Ribas, will no longer be happening at UFC 256 on Dec. 12, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
That’s according to a report from MMA Fighting, which states that due to the date the fight couldn’t be finalized. According to the report, the promotion is looking to find another opponent for Ribas to remain on the card, with the hopes that they can re-book the original match up between her and Esparza at a later date. Of course, should Ribas lose to whomever she faces at UFC 256 those plans likely fall by the wayside.
Esparza is currently riding a four-fight win streak and was last seen defeating Marina Rodriguez at UFC Fight Island 3 last July. Ribas, meanwhile, is one of the hottest fighters in the division after winning five in a row, including wins over Mackenzie Dern and Paige VanZant, who she submitted in the very first round at UFC 251 this past summer.
UFC 256 was originally set to be headlined by a Welterweight title fight between division champion Kamaru Usman and Gilbert Burns, but was eventually scrapped after “The Nigerian Nightmare” declared that he needed more time to prepare. As a result, Amanda Nunes is currently in line to headline the pay-per-view (PPV) event against Megan Anderson in a women’s Featherweight title bout.