UFC women’s strawweight contender Michelle Waterson won’t be fighting on the UFC 257 fight card.
Waterson, 34, was scheduled to fight Amanda Ribas on January 23, but she has been forced to withdraw from the upcoming fight. As of this moment, the reason for her withdrawal is yet to be announced. There is still no information on whether there will be a new opponent for Ribas or the fight will get rescheduled.
Waterson was looking to build on a victory over Angela Hill in her last outing as the two strawweights headlined a UFC Fight Night card in September while also earning Fight of the Night honors.
Waterson (18-8) is the No. 7 ranked women’s strawweight in the UFC right now. The 34-year-old American has been a member of the UFC women’s strawweight division since 2015 when she joined the promotion following a stint on The Ultimate Fighter.
Ribas (10-1) is one of the top women’s strawweight prospects in the division. The 27-year-old Brazilian joined the UFC in 2019 and has since won all four of her fights in the Octagon.