Michelle Waterson out of UFC 257 fight wth Amanda Ribas

UFC women’s strawweight contender Michelle Waterson has been forced out of her upcoming UFC 257 bout against Amanda Ribas.

MMAFighting.com was the first to report that Waterson has had to withdraw from her bout against Ribas at UFC 257, which was set to take place on January 23 at Fight Island in Abu Dhabi. With Waterson off of the card, the UFC will likely look to find a replacement opponent for Ribas. With the card still well over a month away, it shouldn’t be difficult for the UFC to find someone to fight Ribas next month, though it’s doubtful the replacement opponent will be as highly-ranked as Waterson is.

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. Though Waterson has been unable to win a championship in the UFC, she has proven herself to be a top-10 fighter at 115lbs. In Waterson’s last outing, she defeated Angela Hill by decision in a great battle that won “Fight of the Night.”

Ribas (10-1) is one of the top women’s strawweight prospects in the division and is close to breaking into the top-five at 115lbs. The 27-year-old Brazilian joined the UFC in 2019 and has since won all four of her fights in the Octagon. After defeating Emily Whitmire by stoppage in her UFC debut last June, Ribas then picked up a big upset win over Mckenzie Dern. She then defeated Randa Markos before picking up a submission win over Paige VanZant at UFC 251 in a women’s flyweight bout. Unfortunately, her return down to 115lbs will have to wait due now.

Do you want the UFC to re-book the Michelle Waterson vs. Amanda Ribas fight or should the matchmakers find another opponent for Ribas?