UFC fighter Hailey Cowan has been forced to pull out of her scheduled bout against Tamires Vidal at UFC Vegas 92 due to a broken fibula, with Melissa Gatto now set to face Vidal instead.
Hailey Cowan’s gonna be on the bench for a bit. She was all set to go head-to-head with Tamires Vidal on May 18 at UFC Vegas 92. But, alas, an injury got in the way and she was yanked from the bout.
And what an injury it was! On Friday, Cowan gave us a glimpse of a wicked leg break that forced her to step down.
Here’s what she had to say: “A few weeks back, I rolled my ankle wrestling. Thought it was a bad sprain, and kept training for the fight. You know me, I’m stubborn and pain doesn’t faze me much. So, I didn’t whine and begged to continue. They let me, until they couldn’t.”
She continued, “I trained for the fight for 2 weeks, with physical therapy every day. Wednesday, after therapy, I reluctantly went in for an X-ray. I was sure the X-ray would clear me to fight. I mean, I was in minimal pain and was functioning well. But, surprise! My fibula is displaced and broken. The ‘dislocation’ I felt? That was my bone snapping.”
She added, “The [UFC PI] staff is taking great care of me. So, I’ll be rehabbing in Las Vegas! I see a specialist next week. But, hey, if you could keep me in your prayers, that’d be awesome! The good news: It looks like I won’t need surgery, so recovery should be quick!”
And she ended with, “Chin down, eyes forward. I’ll be back in the cage in a few months!”
So, who’s replacing Cowan? Melissa Gatto is stepping up to face Vidal at UFC Vegas 92. That’s what sources with knowledge of the matchup confirmed with MMA Fighting. MMA Junkie was the first to spill the beans.
Gatto’s record in the UFC is currently 2-2, fighting as a flyweight. But now, she’s returning to the bantamweight division, where she primarily fought before joining the UFC. Her last fight was at UFC Vegas 76, where she lost a split decision to Ariane da Silva.
As for Vidal, she joined the UFC in 2022 and has a 1-1 record in the promotion. Her last fight was a split decision loss to Montserrat Rendon at UFC Vegas 79.
UFC Vegas 92’s main event? A featherweight matchup between Edson Barboza and Lerone Murphy.
Oh, and a shout-out to Guilherme Cruz who contributed to this report.