With Glover Teixeira vs. Thiago Santos pushed back after the former tested positive for COVID-19, UFC Vegas 10 has a new main event. The card, which takes place in just over a week’s time on September 12, will now see Michelle Waterson vs. Angela Hill cap off the evening.
ESPN’s Ariel Helwani was first to report the news. The strawweight contest had been scheduled as a three-round affair. That has been changed, as the pair will now go twenty-five minutes or less.
Waterson (17-8), who held atomweight gold in Invicta FC, had all the markings on a future star when she jumped to the UFC in 2015. “The Karate Hottie” started things off with two straight wins, but has struggled with consistency and steps up in competition. She’s currently riding a two-fight losing streak, which snapped a three-fight win streak that was the best of her octagon career.
Last October, she dropped a decision to Joanna Jedrzejczyk which saw the winner go on to face champ Weili Zhang at UFC 248. Waterson followed that up with a loss to another former champ in Carla Esparza.
Angela Hill (12-8) started her first stint in the UFC following The Ultimate Fighter 20, which introduced the strawweight division in the promotion. “Overkill” went 1-2, a record that saw her sent packing to Invicta FC. When she joined TUF in 2014, however, Hill had just one pro fight to her name.
Invicta FC gave Hill the seasoning she needed, as she would go on a four-fight winning streak that saw her capture 115lb gold. She returned to the UFC in 2017, and has stayed busy ever since — holding the record for the most fights (six) in the shortest time span (337 days).
UFC Vegas 10 takes place Saturday, September 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, NV. The event airs live on ESPN+ (TSN in Canada).
