The shake-ups to UFC Vegas 43 continue.
On Wednesday, news broke that Jessica Penne had been forced out of her strawweight fight with Luana Pinheiro. In her place will be Sam Hughes, stepping up in just over a week’s notice.
Cageside Press confirmed the development following an initial report by MMA Junkie.
For Hughes (5-3), it’s a chance to get back to work after a fight last month against Lupita Godinez fell through. Hughes was forced out of that bout due to COVID-19 protocols. With the ordeal behind her, she’ll look to snap a two-fight skid against Pinheiro.
In her first two octagon outings, Hughes came up short against Tecia Torres and Loma Lookboonmee.
Luana Pinheiro (9-1) won her way into the UFC on last year’s Contender Series. In her promotional debut, she was the beneficiary, of sorts, of an illegal upkick by Randa Markos. That led to a DQ win for Pinheiro, who will enter her second fight in the promotional against Hughes.
UFC Vegas 43 takes place November 20, 2021 at the Apex in Las Vegas. Former women’s bantamweight champ Miesha Tate faces Ketlen Vieira in the main event.
The line-up to date for the event breaks down as follows:
Ketlen Vieira vs. Miesha Tate
Marcin Prachnio vs. Azamat Murzakanov
Rani Yahya vs. Kang Kyung-ho
Augusto Sakai vs. Tai Tuivasa
Cody Durden vs. Qileng Aori
Joanne Calderwood vs. Taila Santos
Fares Ziam vs. Terrance McKinney
Michael Chiesa vs. Sean Brady
Rafa Garcia vs. Natan Levy
Davey Grant vs. Adrian Yanez
Sean Soriano vs. Shayilan Nuerdanbieke
Tucker Lutz vs. Pat Sabatini
Loma Lookboonmee vs. Lupita Godinez
Luana Pinheiro vs. Sam Hughes
