(Photo via Danny Morales / DTM News Journal)
With bantamweight rising star Holly Holm out of her UFC debut next month due to a neck injury, the UFC has signed Ashlee Evans-Smith to fill in for Holm at UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II (December 6th, Las Vegas) against Raquel Pennington. UFC officials announced the news yesterday.
If Evans-Smith’s name sounds vaguely familiar, there’s a reason for that. Carrying a 3-0 professional record, Evans-Smith is best known as the woman responsible for giving transgendered fighter Fallon Fox her only loss, via third-round TKO last October. Evans-Smith also got destroyed by Veronica Rothenhausler in five seconds during an amateur bout in July 2012.
From a competitive standpoint, Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Raquel Pennington is actually a more compelling fight than Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington, which seemed like an obvious mismatch designed to put Holm over. I don’t know…I’m just trying to find a silver lining here. UFC.com currently lists Evans-Smith vs. Pennington as a part of the UFC 181 prelims broadcast on FOX Sports 1. A heavyweight bout between Todd Duffee and Anthony Hamilton has been moved up to the main card in the wake of Holly Holm’s withdrawal.
(Photo via Danny Morales / DTM News Journal)
With bantamweight rising star Holly Holm out of her UFC debut next month due to a neck injury, the UFC has signed Ashlee Evans-Smith to fill in for Holm at UFC 181: Hendricks vs. Lawler II (December 6th, Las Vegas) against Raquel Pennington. UFC officials announced the news yesterday.
If Evans-Smith’s name sounds vaguely familiar, there’s a reason for that. Carrying a 3-0 professional record, Evans-Smith is best known as the woman responsible for giving transgendered fighter Fallon Fox her only loss, via third-round TKO last October. Evans-Smith also got destroyed by Veronica Rothenhausler in five seconds during an amateur bout in July 2012.
From a competitive standpoint, Ashlee Evans-Smith vs. Raquel Pennington is actually a more compelling fight than Holly Holm vs. Raquel Pennington, which seemed like an obvious mismatch designed to put Holm over. I don’t know…I’m just trying to find a silver lining here. UFC.com currently lists Evans-Smith vs. Pennington as a part of the UFC 181 prelims broadcast on FOX Sports 1. A heavyweight bout between Todd Duffee and Anthony Hamilton has been moved up to the main card in the wake of Holly Holm’s withdrawal.
