Two-division champion Amanda
Nunes has pulled out of her scheduled featherweight title
defense at UFC 256 for undisclosed reasons, according to
ESPN.
Nunes vs. Anderson was supposed to headline the UFC 256 card at the
UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Dec. 12. According to Anderson, the
promotion is working to reschedule the bout, though UFC officials
have not officially announced the cancellation of the title fight.
It is currently unclear if UFC 256 will get a new headliner. The
card also features a bantamweight championship clash between
Petr
Yan and Aljamain
Sterling.
Wishing Amanda a speedy recovery UFC are
rescheduling the bout for a date early next year.The goal remains the same We’ll be ready.. https://t.co/APZt4zUkS0
— Megan Anderson (@MeganA_mma)
November 9, 2020
“All I was told was she has a ‘serious medical issue’ and that
they’re working on rescheduling the bout currently,” Anderson said
in a statement released to ESPN. “Obviously, it sucks because we’ve
been working so hard for this, but I hope she has a speedy recovery
and the goal remains the same. Nothing has ever come easy for me.
This is just another part of the journey and we’ll be ready for
whatever date they set. Our time is coming one way or another.”
Nunes, who is regarded as the top pound-for-pound fighter in
women’s MMA, is coming off a unanimous decision triumph against
Felicia
Spencer in a 145-pound belt defense at UFC 250 on June 6. Prior
to that, “Lioness” defeated Germaine
de Randamie via five-round verdict in a bantamweight title bout
at UFC 245 in December 2019.
A former Invicta FC title holder, Anderson has scored back-to-back
first-round finishes of Zara Fairn dos Santos and Norma
Dumont Viana in her last two Octagon appearances. The
30-year-old Aussie is 3-2 in UFC competition, with losses to
Spencer and Holly
Holm.