Michelle Waterson out of upcoming fight against Amanda Ribas at UFC 257

Strawweight contender Michelle Waterson has been forced out of her upcoming fight against Amanda Ribas at UFC 257 on Jan. 23.

Multiple sources close to the situation confirmed the news to MMA Fighting on Tuesday.

Details surrounding Waterson’s withdrawal are not public at this time but the former Invicta FC champion will be unable to compete in January as previously scheduled.

Waterson was looking to build on a victory over Angela Hill in her last outing as the strawweights headlined a UFC Fight Night card in September while also earning Fight of the Night honors.

“The Karate Hottie” was then booked in the fight against Ribas, who remains undefeated in the UFC including a win in her most recent performance against Paige VanZant.

There’s no word yet on a replacement opponent for Ribas as she looks to continue a current four-fight win streak in the UFC including additional victories over Mackenzie Dern and Randa Markos.