Michelle Waterson is out of her May 7th UFC pay-per-view fight against Amanda Ribas, per an announcement made by the veteran strawweight earlier this month.
Ribas is reportedly still hoping for a new opponent for UFC 274. The event, which is just under two months away, is scheduled to take place at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Waterson announced her injury earlier this month, stressing that the reason for her withdrawal from the card is due to a serious undisclosed injury that must be treated.
“I’m keeping my fingers crossed that [this] is a short break. It’s an injury that stopped me from training, and it’s heartbreaking,” said Waterson via Instagram. “If I don’t take this care of this injury it is something that will become worse and career-ending.”
The fight was scheduled to be Waterson’s first appearance in nearly a year. Her last appearance came in the main event of a UFC card last year, where she lost a unanimous decision to Marina Rodriguez.
Ribas was riding the momentum of a recent decision win against Virna Jandiroba. This put her back into the win column after suffering her first UFC loss earlier in 2021, getting finished by Marina Rodriguez.
UFC Lightweight Champion Charles Oliveira is currently expected to meet Justin Gaethje in the main event of UFC 274.
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