Julia Avila out of UFC Vegas 45 matchup against Raquel Pennington due to injury

Julia Avila has hit another patch of bad luck.

MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck confirmed with sources with knowledge of the change that a knee injury has forced Avila out of her Dec. 18 bantamweight matchup with Raquel Pennington at UFC Vegas 45. The injury was first reported by MyMMANews.

This is yet another hit to Avila’s current UFC run. The No. 13-ranked bantamweight in MMA Fighting’s Global Rankings, Avila is no stranger to missed opportunities as she has seen bouts with Julija Stoliarenko (who she later defeated in her most recent bout), Nicco Montano, Karol Rosa, and Melissa Gatto fall through over the past two years for a variety of reasons. “Raging Panda” is 3-1 in the UFC.

It is not yet known if the promotion will seek a replacement opponent for Pennington, who was set to defend her No. 6 ranking against Avila. The one-time UFC title challenger has won three of her past four bouts and is coming off of back-to-back decision wins over Pannie Kianzad and Marion Reneau.