UFC 237 is set to be the UFC’s big return card in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 11. The card is looking to be a good one but unfortunately, it has now taken a hit.
It was first reported by Combate on Wednesday that Australia’s Jessica-Rose Clark had been pulled from her bantamweight match-up with Talita Bernardo (6-3) who is now expected to face off with Brazilian newcomer, Melissa Gatto (6-0-2).
Clark would later confirm that she suffered an injury to her right foot in sparring.
“News is out. I’m out of #UFC237 officially. An accident in sparring resulted in the ligaments in my right foot snapping. So my next steps are ~ sexy boot ~ surgery ~ sexy boot ~ recovery ~ fight.
My sincerest apologies to @talitabernardomma ~ I really hope we get to run this later in the year. Apologies to @mickmaynard2 and @ufc , I’m going to do everything I can to rehab and recover as quick as possible.
I’ve had a few days to accept it and all I can do now is get on my grind as best as possible.
Big thank you to @heatherlinden for helping me organize medicals.
Thank you @chelsearaemma for holding down the fort.
Thank you to @bo.sandoval for coming up with a dope program whilst I can’t put weight on my right foot.
And biggest thank you of all to @ty_gwerder for taking care of me 24/7 and making sure my days are filled with love instead of allowing me to spiral into devastation. I love you.
I’ll be back and kicking soon!” Clark said in an Instagram post.
For Jessica-Rose Clark, her last fight came in June 2018 when she suffered her first loss in the UFC to the next flyweight title challenger, Jessica Eye. After that, she was scheduled to take on Andrea Lee on UFC on Fox 31 in November but passed out during her weight cut thus canceling the fight. Therefore prompting a future move back to bantamweight.
Now, Brazil’s Gatto will look to keep her unbeaten streak alive by halting Bernardo’s momentum after she picked up her first UFC win in October 2018 by getting a unanimous decision win over Sarah Moras.
The full UFC 237 card can be seen below. Learn how to watch UFC 237 here
- Strawweight – 115lbs: (C)Rose Namajunas vs. Jéssica Andrade
- Featherweight – 145lbs: José Aldo vs. Alexander Volkanovski
- Middleweight – 185lbs: Jared Cannonier vs. Anderson Silva
- Light Heavyweight – 205lbs: Antônio Rogério Nogueira vs. Ryan Spann
- Welterweight – 170lbs: Thiago Alves vs. Laureano Staropoli
- Welterweight: Francisco Trinaldo vs Carlos Diego Ferreira
- Bantamweight – 135lbs: Bethe Correia vs. Irene Aldana
- Bantamweight: Talita Bernardo vs. Melissa Gatto
- Flyweight – 125lbs: Wu Yanan vs. Luana Carolina
- Lightweight – 155lbs: BJ Penn vs. Clay Guida
- Bantamweight: Raoni Barcelos vs. Said Nurmagomedov
- Welterweight: Warlley Alves vs. Sergio Moraes
- Lightweight: Thiago Moises vs Kurt Holobaugh
This article first appeared on BJPenn.com on 4/3/2019