Jessica Penne is out of her fight against Tabatha Ricci at UFC Vegas 61 on Saturday.
At the official weigh-ins on Friday, UFC color commentator Jon Anik announced that Penne fell ill and was subsequently removed from the event. Mike Heck of MMA Fighting spoke to her manager, who revealed she was ‘not feeling good’ throughout the week.
There is no word on the nature of the illness at this time.
Penne was hoping to return to the win column after losing a unanimous decision to promotional newcomer Emily Ducote at UFC Long Island this past July. The 39-year-old was previously on a two-fight win streak, which included a split decision over Lupita ‘Loopy’ Godínez and a first-round armbar of Karolina Kowalkiewicz.
Ricci rebounded from her first professional loss to Manon Fiorot with back-to-back wins over Maria Oliveira and Polyana Viana. ‘Baby Shark’ was originally scheduled to fight Cheyanne Vlismas in her third Octagon appearance in 2022, but the ‘Warrior Princess’ was forced out because of personal reasons.
It is unknown if Penne vs. Ricci will be rescheduled for a later date.
UFC Vegas 61 goes on with 12 fights, with Mackenzie Dern vs. Yan Xianon serving as the headliner.
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