Poliana Botelho will be in search for an opponent yet again.
After Ji Yeon Kim withdrew from their bout at UFC on ESPN 23 on May 1, Botelho (8-3 MMA, 3-2 UFC) drew fellow Brazilian Mayra Bueno Silva (7-1-1 MMA, 2-1-1 UFC). But a back injury has forced Silva out of their fight and Botelho is still hoping to remain on the card.
MMA Junkie confirmed the news after an initial post from Botelho on her Instagram.
Botelho has split her past four appearances. In her return to flyweight, Botelho defeated Lauren Mueller at UFC 236, then dropped a unanimous decision to Gillian Robertson in October. Silva was looking for a quick turnaround after battling to a majority draw with Montana De La Rosa at UFC Fight Night 186 in February.
With the change, the May 1 lineup now includes:
- Jiri Prochazka vs. Dominick Reyes
- TJ Brown vs. Kai Kamaka III
- Dean Barry vs. Mike Jackson
- Poliana Botelho vs. TBA
- K.B. Bhullar vs. Andreas Michailidis
- Damon Jackson vs. TJ Laramie
- Sam Hughes vs. Loma Lookboonmee
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Augusto Sakai
- Krzysztof Jotko vs. Sean Strickland
- Giga Chikadze vs. Cub Swanson
- Gabriel Benitez vs. Jonathan Pearce
- Felipe Colares vs. Journey Newson
- Merab Dvalishvili vs. Cody Stamann
