After a health scare left her unsure of her immediate future, budding women’s bantamweight [autotag]Hailey Cowan[/autotag] has a promotional debut back on the books.
At UFC on ESPN 43, Cowan (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will fight [autotag]Tamires Vidal[/autotag] (7-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a late addition to the card. The event takes place March 25 at AT&T Center in San Antonio.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Cowan, 31, was expected to debut at UFC Fight Night 220 on Feb. 25. However, she withdrew from the bout hours prior to weigh-ins. After her scheduled opponent Ailin Perez criticized the withdrawal, Cowan revealed she suffered from an ovarian cyst rupture that landed her in the hospital. Cowan is a “Dana White’s Contender Series” signee with pro wins in Invicta FC and LFA among other promotions.
Vidal, 24, added a big-time highlight to her reel in her promotional debut at UFC Fight Night 214 in November when she scored a flying knee knockout of opponent Ramona Pascual. The victory extended her winning streak to six.
With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 43 lineup includes:
- Marlon Vera vs. Cory Sandhagen
- Holly Holm vs. Yana Santos
- Maycee Barber vs. Andrea Lee
- Manel Kape vs. Alex Perez
- Alex Caceres vs. Nate Landwehr
- Albert Duraev vs. Chidi Njokuani
- Tucker Lutz vs. Daniel Pineda
- Lucas Alexander vs. Steven Peterson
- Trevin Giles vs. Preston Parsons
- Liang Na vs. Brogan Walker
- Daniel Da Silva vs. CJ Vergara
- Victor Altamirano vs. Vinicius Salvador
- Trey Ogden vs. Manuel Torres
- Hailey Cowan vs. Tamires Vidal
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC on ESPN 43.