Originally published at https://www.postwrestling.com/2020/04/01/valentina-shevchenko-off-the-ufc-251-card-due-to-injury/
The status of UFC 251 in June may be unknown but it is official that UFC flyweight champion Valentina Shevchenko will not be fighting on that card.
Shevchenko was set to defend her championship at the card, which is still on the UFC’s scheduled for June 6th in Perth, Australia, against Joanne Calderwood.
The challenger revealed the fight would not be happening when speaking with the MMA Fighting outlet. Shevchenko has since confirmed that she will be unable to fight on June 6th due to injury.
Shevchenko, 32, became the women’s flyweight champion in December 2018 and has defended the championship three times. Her last fight was in February where she stopped Katlyn Chookagian by TKO in the third round at UFC 247 and improved to 19-3 in her MMA career.
Calderwood has been a member of the UFC roster since 2014 when she competed on the Ultimate Fighter as a strawweight. Since 2018, she has fought exclusively at 125-pounds and gone 3-1 in her last four outings and is coming off a split decision victory over Andrea Lee last September at UFC 242.
UFC president Dana White has been adamant about continuing to run cards despite the COVID-19 pandemic that has led to so many sports and entertainment outlets shutting down. The promotion did postpone two cards that were scheduled in March for London, England, and Columbus, Ohio along with the upcoming show that was scheduled for Portland, Oregon on April 11th.
They are working to keep the UFC 249 card together while seeking a new location for the April 18th date.