Bad news for fans of ‘Lil Bulldog’ as Felice Herrig has been forced off of UFC 238 due to an ACL tear.
Felice Herrig will have to forgo appearing in front of her hometown crowd for now. Herrig, a.k.a. ‘Lil Bulldog,’ has seemed to be on the cusp of breaking out over the last couple of years. After entering the UFC via The Ultimate Fighter 20, Herrig, who already had a sizeable fan following, struggled out of the gate. However, a 4-0 run from 2016-17 had things looking up, until setbacks against Karolina Kowalkiewicz and Michelle Waterson.
That led to Herrig (14-8), an Illinois native, being booked onto UFC 238 in Chicago, against China’s Yan Xiaonan (10–1 (1)). A promising match-up, especially with Xiaonan undefeated in the UFC through three fights.
However, on Wednesday, news broke that Herrig has been forced out of the fight. Herrig announced the news herself with a video on Instagram, which you can view below.
“Crutches. That’s never a good thing,” Herrig quipped in the video segment. “And it’s not. Unfortunately, Friday, I tore my ACL, and I do need surgery. Which means that I will not be fighting on UFC Chicago [UFC 238]. Which is a bummer, for sure. So I just want to say I’m sorry to the fans, to the UFC, and most definitely, my opponent. I hope that she gets a replacement, there’s still enough time.”
“As for me, what can you do?,” she continued. “All I can do is move forward, and stay positive, work on my recovery, and come back stronger than ever. In the meantime, I hope everybody sends me warm wishes and hugs and virtual kisses and prayers, and just know that I will be back.”
Herrig last fought at the infamous UFC 229 in October, losing against Waterson that night. No timetable has been announced for her return, not surprising with a fresh injury. The UFC has yet to comment, or announce a replacement for Xiaonan.
UFC 238 takes place June 8 at the United Center in Chicago, IL.
Update, 7:05 PM ET — Angela Hill, fresh off a win over Jodie Esquibel at UFC Fort Lauderdale, has stepped up to replace Herrig, per a report by MMA Junkie.
