The second time was not the charm as Macy Chiasson vs. Ketlen Vieira is off UFC Fight Night 252 on Feb. 22 at Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, the promotion announced Thursday.
The cancellation marks the second time the bout has been scrapped, though this time it’s an injury to Chiasson (10-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC) to blame. The two women’s bantamweight contenders were initially slated to fight in January 2024, but Vieira (14-4 MMA, 8-4 UFC) withdrew due to injury.
It’s unclear if the matchup will be rescheduled, or if the promotion will give each athlete a new opponent. The bout could be an important one for the women’s bantamweight division, without an obvious title challenger beyond the impending Julianna Peña vs. Kayla Harrison title fight.
Chiasson vs. Vieira is the latest blow to a UFC card that has been decimated by cancellations. Former UFC bantamweight champion Dominick Cruz withdrew due to injury. Perennial contender Edson Barboza is out of his fight vs. Steve Garcia. A heavyweight scrap between Curtis Blaydes and Rizvan Kuniev has shifted to UFC 313.
The promotion added two new bouts Thursday in an effort to beef out the lineup. It’s unclear if more additions or changes are coming.
With the change, the UFC Fight Night 252 lineup includes:
- Henry Cejudo vs. Song Yadong
- Brendan Allen vs. Anthony Hernandez
- Melsik Baghdasaryan vs. Jean Silva
- Rob Font vs. TBA
- Steve Garcia vs. TBA
- Ibo Aslan vs. Ion Cutelaba
- Andre Fili vs. Melquizael Costa
- Modestas Bukauskas vs. Rafael Cerqueira
- Javid Basharat vs. Ricky Simon
- Adam Fugitt vs. Billy Ray Goff
- Mansur Abdul-Malik vs. Nick Klein
- Eric McConico vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
- Alonzo Menifield vs. Julius Walker
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 252.
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