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Marc RaimondiESPN
Felice Herrig won’t get her Chicago homecoming next month.
The UFC women’s strawweight fighter tore her ACL and is out of her UFC 238 fight against Yan Xiaonan, Herrig announced Tuesday on Instagram.
That bout was scheduled for United Center on June 8. Herrig is a resident of nearby Crystal Lake, Illinois.
Herrig, 34, said she expects to be out “a while” with surgery needed. The UFC announced later Wednesday that Angela Hill would instead fight Xiaonan on the UFC 238 card.
“Unfortunately, Friday I tore my ACL and I do need surgery, which means that I will not be fighting on UFC Chicago, which is a bummer, for sure,” Herrig said in a video. “So I just want to say I’m sorry to the fans, to the UFC and most definitely my opponent. I hope that she gets a replacement. There’s still enough time.
“As for me, what can you do? All I can do is move forward and stay positive and work on my recovery and come back stronger than ever. In the meantime, I hope that everybody sends me warm wishes and hugs and virtual kisses and prayers. Just know that I’ll be back.”
Herrig (14-8) is coming off two straight losses, though she remains a top-15 strawweight in the UFC rankings. “Lil’ Bulldog,” as she’s known, most recently fell to Michelle Waterson at UFC 229 last October.
A women’s MMA pioneer and pro fighter for 14 years between MMA and kickboxing, Herrig was on a four-fight winning streak before this recent skid.
Xiaonan (10-1, 1 NC) has won all three of her UFC fights, has not lost since 2010 and is an intriguing 29-year-old prospect out of China.
Hill is coming off a unanimous decision win over Jodie Esquibel at UFC Fort Lauderdale on Saturday. That victory snapped a two-fight losing streak for the 32-year-old San Diego resident.