Joanne Calderwood has suffered an injury and she is off of UFC Fight Night 80, replacing her against Paige VanZant will be Rose Namajunas.
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It’s certainly an unsettling event for the 28-year-old, who is coming off a dominant showing over late replacement Cortney Casey at UFC Fight Night 72 last July. The 23-year-old was part of history at The Ultimate Fighter 20 Finale when she lost to Carla Esparza for the inaugural UFC Strawweight Championship. She beat Alex Chambers with a third-round armbar at UFC 191 last month. But would that matter?
Justin Buchholz, who is the host for Team Alpha Male Radio, claimed that Calderwood pulled out of the fight, and now Van Zant will be getting a new opponent in Rose Namajunas. Namajunas, however, would be her highest ranked opposition to date. UFC President Dana White confirmed the change on Wednesday.
Paige VanZant is getting her first headlining gig in the UFC in December… and all the headaches that accompany such an accolade.
VanZant, 21, is 3-0 and already one of the more popular fighters in the organization.
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That was the season where Paige VanZant was not allowed to join the cast due to age restrictions, but she made an impact of her own when she debuted against Kailin Curran. She earned her first UFC win with a first round submission over Angela Hill at UFC 192. That card is slated to air on UFC Fight Pass.
