A promising bout between ranked UFC flyweights has been rebooked for September.
Promotion officials announced via press release on Thursday that the No. 12 ranked flyweight Talia Santos will be stepping in for Tatiana Suarez, who is injured again, and will face No. 9 ranked Roxanne Modafferi at UFC 266. Santos and Modafferi were originally scheduled to fight back in May, however Modafferi pulled out with a knee injury.
Santos (17-1) is riding a two-fight win streak since suffering her first professional loss in her promotional debut. The Brazilian fought twice in 2020, dominating both Molly McCann and Gillian Robertson via unanimous decision.
Modafferi (25-18) will be entering her 44th professional MMA bout when she faces Santos. “The Happy Warrior” has alternated wins and losses in her latest run inside the octagon. She fought four times in 2020, defeating highly-touted prospect Maycee Barber and Andrea Lee while losing to Lauren Murphy and Viviane Araújo.
UFC 266 is set to take place on September 25 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. Alexander Volkanovski and Brian Ortega are expected to headline the card.
UFC 266’s lineup is as follows:
- Alexander Volkanovski vs. Brian Ortega – for the UFC featherweight title
- Valentina Shevchenko vs. Lauren Murphy – for the UFC flyweight title
- Nick Diaz vs. Robbie Lawler
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Jessica Andrade vs. Cynthia Calvillo
- Merab Dvalishvili vs. Marlon Moraes
- Dan Hooker vs. Nasrat Haqparast
- Shamil Abdurakhimov vs. Chris Daukaus
- Roxanne Modafferi vs. Talia Santos
- Manon Fiorot vs. Mayra Bueno Silva
- Uros Medic vs. Jalin Turner
- Sarah Alpar vs. Erin Blanchfield
- Nick Maximov vs. Karl Roberson
- Matthew Semelsberger vs. Martin Sano Jr.
