Lauren Murphy has been pulled from an upcoming bout at UFC Fight Night Phoenix for undisclosed reasons, where she was supposed to fight Ashlee Evans-Smith.
Flo Combat first reported the fighter’s withdraw from the event, while Smith is expected to remain on the card as UFC officials are searching for a replacement for her to fight. There is no word yet on what exactly caused Murphy to be removed from the card or how long the fighter is expected to be out of action for.
Evans-Smith (6-3-0) is undefeated since moving down to the flyweight division, defeating Bec Rawlings by decision at UFC 223. Evans-Smith also competed in the Championship Fighting Alliance, where she defeated transgender fighter Fallon Fox in the finals of a four woman tournament in 2013. Evans-Smith also picked up five victories as an amateur MMA fighter, with one of them coming over UFC veteran turned pro wrestler Jessamyn Duke. Smith has picked up six wins as a professional MMA fighter, but she has yet to earn a victory by way of submission.
UFC Fight Night Phoenix takes place on Sunday, February 17 from the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, Arizona with Francis Ngannou and Cain Velasquez headlining. Fightful is going to be providing live coverage of the event, which airs live on ESPN.
