Julianna Pena vs. Sara McMann is still scheduled to take place this January – just one week later than expected.
Originally booked for a UFC Fight Night event on Jan. 16, Pena (9-4 MMA, 5-2 UFC) vs. McMann (12-5 MMA, 6-5 UFC) will now take place Jan. 23 at UFC 257. The location of the fight will stay the same, as both cards are scheduled to take place on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the date shift but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. No reason has been disclosed for the change of date.
In October, Pena, 31, returned from a 15-month layoff. With less than two minutes left in Round 3, she was submitted by former UFC women’s featherweight champion Germaine de Randamie. The loss was Pena’s second in three fights.
McMann, 40, also went 1-2 in her most recent three fights. However, she is coming off of a victory. At UFC Fight Night 166 in January, McMann defeated Lina Lansberg by unanimous decision. McMann was supposed to fight Aspen Ladd at UFC on ESPN 12 in June, but Ladd withdrew after she tore her ACL and MCL.
With the addition, the latest UFC 257 lineup includes:
- Dustin Poirier vs. Conor McGregor
- Joanne Calderwood vs. Jessica Eye
- Marcin Prachnio vs. Khalil Rountree
- Amanda Ribas vs. Marina Rodriguez
- Ottman Azaitar vs. Matt Frevola
- Antonio Carlos Junior vs. Brad Tavares
- Sergey Morozov vs. Umar Nurmagomedov
- Shane Burgos vs. Hakeem Dawodu
- Nasrat Haqparast vs. Arman Tsarukyan
- Makhmud Muradov vs. Andrew Sanchez
- Sara McMann vs. Julianna Pena
