Former UFC women’s strawweight champion Rose Namajunas withdrew from her co-main event bout with another former champion, Jessica Andrade, at next weekend’s UFC 249. The bout would have been a rematch of their scrap at UFC 237 where Andrade won the title with a vicious KO slam.
According to Namajunas’ manager Brian Butler-Au, the former champ made the decision to pull out of the fight after two coronavirus-related deaths in her family.
“Rose withdrew from UFC 249 due to 2 deaths in the family related to the Coronavirus. Her hopes are to return to the Octagon as soon as possible but for now we ask for people to respect their privacy during this time,” the statement on social media read.
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There is no word on whether the UFC will scramble to find a new opponent for Andrade or whether she will also be removed from the card.
UFC 249 is headlined by an interim lightweight championship bout between Tony Ferguson and Justin Gaethje. Current 155-pound king Khabib Nurmagomedov was initially set to defend his belt against Ferguson, but he is currently locked down in Russia due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A look at the latest information regarding UFC 249 can be seen below.
Updated UFC 249 Fight Card
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- Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje – for interim lightweight title
- Jessica Andrade vs. TBD
- Greg Hardy vs. Yorgan De Castro
- Vicente Luque vs. Niko Price
- Calvin Kattar vs. Jeremy Stephens
- Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik
- Uriah Hall vs. Ronaldo Souza
- Alexander Hernandez vs. Omar Morales
- Ray Borg vs. Marlon Vera
- Michael Johnson vs. Khama Worthy
- Sijara Eubanks vs. Sarah Moras
- Sam Alvey vs. Ryan Spann
UFC 249: Fight Time & Viewing Details
Event: UFC 249: Ferguson vs. Gaethje
Date: Saturday, April 18
Location: Tachi Palace Casino Resort (rumored)
Venue: TBD
Main Card Card Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Broadcast: TBD
