Shayna Baszler injured, forced out of UFC debut against Kaufman

Bloody Elbow 2.0 | Anton Tabuena

Only days removed from telling Ariel Helwani that she’d “Fight Ronda Rousey tomorrow,” Shayna Baszler has been pulled from her upcoming bout with Sarah Kaufman. Set for the TUF Nations finale, this is the second time that Baszler’s UFC debut has been delayed by injury. She also missed the Ultimate Fighter 18 Finale due to injuries suffered in training. MMAJunkie confirmed the withdrawal of Baszler, but was unable to learn the nature of her injury or set down a possible return date. Kaufman, for her part, has taken to Twitter in search of a new opponent.

What lady is stepping up with @QoSBaszler out? Come try to beat up a Canadian!! @ufc

— Sarah Kaufman (@mmasarah) April 2, 2014

This continues a rough string of bad luck for the former Strikeforce Champion who saw her UFC debut against Sara McMann cancelled after McMann withdrew due to “personal issues.” Kaufman then lost a split decision to Jessica Eye, a fight many felt she won, and a result which was later overturned due to Eye’s failed drug test. Now, in a division short on potential fill in opponents, the UFC will be left scrambling to keep her on the TUF Nations finale card only two weeks away. Stay tuned as we will provide updates when they become available.

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About the author

Zane Simon

Zane Simon is a senior editor, writer, and podcaster for Bloody Elbow. He has worked with the website since 2013, taking on a wide variety of roles. A lifelong combat sports fan, Zane has trained off & on in both boxing and Muay Thai. He currently hosts the long-running MMA Vivisection podcast, which he took over from Nate Wilcox & Dallas Winston in 2015, as well as the 6th Round podcast, started in 2014. Zane is also responsible for developing and maintaining the ‘List of current UFC fighters’ on Bloody Elbow, a resource he originally developed for Wikipedia in 2010.