Mariya Agapova out of UFC 277, Ji Yeon Kim now faces Joselyne Edwards
Mariya Agapova has been forced to withdraw from UFC 277, and Joselyne Edwards is stepping in to face Ji Yeon Kim.
Multiple people with knowledge of the shift confirmed the news to MMA Fighting. A knee injury forced Agapova off the July 30 pay-per-view at American Airlines Arena in Dallas.
Agapova hoped to bounce back from a submission loss to rival Maryna Moroz that left her octagon record at 2-2. In her place goes Edwards, who most recently outpointed Ramona Pasqual at UFC 275 to snap a two-fight skid. Edwards now stands at 2-2 in the UFC.
Kim, meanwhile, is in dire need of a reset with three straight losses marking her most recent UFC appearances. Overall, she is 3-4 in the octagon with all of her losses coming by way of decision.
UFC 277 is headlined by a pair of title fights: bantamweight champ Juliana Pena rematches ex-champ Amanda Nunes and ex-flyweight champ Brandon Moreno faces Kai Kara-France for the interim title.