Bethe Correia to undergo surgery, withdraws from UFC Fight Island 7
The first UFC card of 2021 has just lost a match after Bethe Correia withdrew from her scheduled bantamweight clash with Wu Yanan on Jan. 16, MMA Fighting has learned.
According to sources, the former 135-pound title contender has to undergo surgery to remove her appendix. It’s unclear if the UFC will attempt to find another opponent for Wu.
UFC Fight Island 7 will be headlined by Max Holloway vs. Calvin Kattar and air live on ABC.
Correia (11-5-1) previously announced that the Wu fight would be her retirement bout. The 37-year-old Brazilian has fought under the UFC banner since 2013, making her way to a title bout with Ronda Rousey after going 3-0 against Julie Kedzie, Jessamyn Duke and Shayna Baszler.
In her most recent octagon appearance, “Pitbull” dropped a decision to Pannie Kianzad on Fight Island in July, almost a year after a decision victory against Sijara Eubanks. Correia went 2-4-1 after challenging for UFC gold in Rio de Janeiro.
Wu (11-3) is 1-2 so far in the UFC, with a first-round armbar victory over Lauren Mueller sandwiched between decision defeats to Gina Mazany and Mizuki Inoue.
