Bea Malecki has been ruled out of the women's bantamweight bout against Norma Dumont at UFC Vegas 23 on April 10. Erin Blanchfield, making her UFC debut, is set to replace Malecki, sources told Sportskeeda.
The reason behind Malecki's withdrawal from the bout is still undisclosed. However, sources exclusively informed Sportskeeda that Norma Dumont will now face Blanchfield at the same event.
'The Immortal' posted a video earlier today to her Instagram tories detailing that the bout with the Swedish mixed martial artist had been canceled.
"So, we just got the news that yesterday night, Bea Malecki withdraw from the fight. Something happened to her. We still don't know what it was. But the bout is still happening on April 10. We already know against who, but I can't reveal before signing the contract. But that's it. It won't be against Malecki anymore, but I'm still fighting on April 10," Norma Dumont said (translation by Sportskeeda).
This will be Norma Dumont's third fight in the UFC. Her debut took place at UFC Fight Night 169, ending in defeat to Megan Anderson. However, the Brazilian got back on her feet with a win over Ashlee Evans-Smith in her follow-up outing.
Norma Dumont vs. Erin Blanchfield
While Bea Malecki had the same experience as Norma Dumont with two fights in the UFC, Erin Blanchfield will be making her debut in the promotion.
The 21-year-old American mixed martial artist holds a record of 6-1, competing at Invicta FC before joining the world's most famous fighting organization.
Competing since she was 12 years old, Blanchfield is a promising addition to the UFC women's bantamweight roster. Nicknamed 'Cold Blooded,' she expects to continue her reign of terror under her new contract.
Meanwhile, Norma Dumont is 30 years old with a professional record of 5-1. She started her career in MMA with Jungle Fighting back in Brazil.
UFC Vegas 23: Fight Card
With Darren Till's withdrawal from the main event against Marvin Vettori and the replacement of Bea Malecki for Erin Blanchfield, this is what the UFC Vegas 23 fight card looks like at the moment:
Main Card
TBA vs. Marvin Vettori (Middleweight - Main Event)
Sodiq Yusuff vs. Arnold Allen (Featherweight)
Kyle Daukaus vs. Aliaskhab Khizriev (Middleweight)
Sam Alvey vs. Julian Marquez (Middleweight)
Nina Ansaroff vs. Mackenzie Dern (Women's Strawweight)
Mike Perry vs. Daniel Rodriguez (Welterweight)
Preliminary Card
Jim Miller vs. Joe Solecki (Lightweight)
Scott Holtzman vs. Mateusz Gamrot (Lightweight)
Erin Blanchfield vs. Norma Dumont (Women's Bantamweight)
John Makdessi vs. Ignacio Bahamondes (Lightweight)
Yorgan De Castro vs. Jarjis Danho (Heavyweight)
Hunter Azure vs. Jack Shore (Bantamweight)
Luis Saldana vs. Jordan Griffin (Featherweight)
Jung Da Un vs. Shamil Gamzatov (Light Heavyweight)
Impa Kasanganay vs. Sasha Palatnikov (Welterweight)