Undisclosed illness cancels bout, shakes up UFC Vegas 61 fight card

UFC Vegas 61 is not off to a great start.

Just hours before the official weigh ins, the promotion was forced to cancel the strawweight contest between Jessica Penne and Tabatha Ricci after Penne was struck down by an undisclosed illness. That leaves the promotion no time to find a replacement for tomorrow night’s (Sat., Oct. 1, 2022) event at APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada.

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BLOCKBUSTER BANTAMWEIGHT CONTENDERS’ BOUT! Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) departs APEX for a special “Fight Night” extravaganza at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas, on Sat., March 25, 2023, featuring a pair of thrilling 135-pound bouts. Surging No. 4-ranked contender Marlon Vera goes for his fifth consecutive win when he takes on exciting finisher and No. 5-seeded Cory Sandhagen. In UFC San Antonio’s ESPN+-streamed co-main event, former women’s 135-pound champion and current No. 3-ranked Holly Holm battles Yana Santos (No. 4).

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The 39 year-old Penne (14-6) was looking to rebound from a unanimous decision loss to Emily Ducote at UFC on ABC 3 last July. As for Ricci (7-1), 27, she rebounded from a UFC debut loss to Manon Fiorot to capture consecutive victories over Maria Oliveira and Polyana Viana.

No word yet if the promotion will look to rebook this contest for an upcoming card.

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC Vegas 61 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ preliminary card bouts at 4 p.m. ET, followed by the ESPN+ main card start time at 7 p.m. ET.

To check out the latest and greatest UFC Vegas 61 news and notes be sure to hit up our comprehensive event archive here. For the updated and finalized “Dern vs. Yan” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.