The Ultimate Fighting Championship is down one top
contender match for its first card of 2024.
The promotion
announced on Friday that the bantamweight pairing between
Ketlen
Vieira (14-3) and Macy
Chiasson (8-3) will no longer be taking place at
UFC Fight Night 234. The UFC noted that the fight had been
canceled due to an undisclosed injury, while stating that Chiasson
will not receive a replacement opponent on this card. According to
multiple
Instagram Stories on Vieira’s account, she appears to have
suffered an injury to her left knee requiring frequent icing and
treatment, while stating that “soon we will be back 100% God
willing.”
“Fenomeno” was aiming to start the year off strong, looking to get
back on a win streak following a decision victory over Pannie
Kianzad in July. Dating back to 2020, the Brazilian has gone
the distance in every match, win or lose. Vieira has faced many of
the top names in her division, besting most of them including an
impressive back-to-back series of wins over Miesha Tate
and Holly
Holm—although the latter came via
contentious split decision.
Chiasson is still looking to get back in the cage after a shocking
loss to Irene
Aldana in September 2022. Chiasson succumbed to an upkick from
Aldana off her back, striking the body perfectly to record the
first knockout of its type in company history. Since 2020, Chiasson
had recorded decision wins over Shanna
Young, Marion
Reneau and Norma
Dumont, while losing by stoppage to Raquel
Pennington and the aforementioned Aldana.
UFC Fight Night 234 will carry on with 12 bouts at the UFC Apex in
Las Vegas on Jan. 13, with the headliner of Magomed
Ankalaev vs. Johnny
Walker at 205 pounds still intact. The co-main attraction will
see Matheus
Nicolau run it back with Manel Kape.
Additional fights on the main card billing include a lightweight
clash of Jim Miller
vs. Gabriel
Benitez and a bantamweight battle pitting Ricky Simon
against Mario
Bautista.