Luana Carolina out until 2021, but avoids surgery after kneebar loss to Ariane Lipski

Luana Carolina won’t be fighting anytime soon, but she won’t have to go under the knife following a nasty submission loss to Ariane Lipski.

Guilherme Cruz, MMA Fighting

“Dread” took on Lipski in a flyweight showdown at UFC Fight Island 2 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, on July 18, a match that was originally scheduled for May but was moved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The match ended 88 seconds into the opening round when Carolina was forced to tap to a violent kneebar.

Carolina was transported to the hospital after the fight to check on her left knee, but her team decided to do more detailed exams upon returning to Brazil. The results are finally back, and Carolina’s doctors decided against a procedure.

According to Carolina’s manager Lucas Lutkus, an MRI exam showed a partial tear to her left knee’s anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and a medial tibia edema. Carolina’s doctor expects the treatment to last four to six months, as they’ll also treat another pre-existing injury to the same knee.

Carolina dropped to 6-2 as a professional MMA fighter with the defeat, a run that includes a Dana White Contender Series’ win over Mabelly Lima in 2018 and a victorious UFC debut over Priscila Cachoeira the following year.