Ashlee Evans-Smith (Dave Mandel/Sherdog)

Ashlee Evans-Smith Replaces Injured Holly Holm at UFC 181

With the highly anticipated debut of former boxing champion Holly Holm put on hold because of injury, Ashlee Evans-Smith will step in to face Holm’s original opponent, Raquel Pennington, at UFC 181 on Dec. 6 in Las Vegas.

The UFC confirmed the news on Wednesday.

Evans-Smith, a Tuff-N-Uff veteran, has kicked off her professional career with a three fight-winning streak that includes a TKO win over Marciea Allen at World Series of Fighting 10 earlier this year. The contest against Pennington will mark the promotional debut for the undefeated prospect.


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Pennington will get her wish and stay on the card after the injury to Holm. After picking up a win in her UFC debut over Roxanne Modafferi, The Ultimate Fighter 18 cast member will look to bounce back from a split decision loss at the hands of Jessica Andrade back in March.

The match-up between Evans-Smith and Pennington is set to air on the pay-per-view portion of the card.

UFC 181 takes place Dec. 6 from the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Two-championship fights will headline the event as Robbie Lawler and Johny Hendricks will meet in a rematch of their UFC 171 battle that saw Hendricks walk away with UFC gold. In the co-main event, lightweight champion Anthony Pettis will face off with No. 1 contender Gilbert Melendez. The main card will air live on pay-per-view while the prelims will be split between a broadcast on Fox Sports 1 and a stream on UFC Fight Pass.


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