Report: Andrea Lee out of UFC 216 vs. Kalindra Faria – and Sarah Kaufman wants in
Not long after finding herself on next week’s UFC 216 card, it appears Andrea Lee will have to wait a while to make her promotional debut.According to a report from MMAFighting.com, Lee (8-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) won’t be able to meet fellow promotional newcomer Kalindra Faria (18-5 MMA, 0-0 UFC) in Las Vegas because of a past positive drug test. That positive test, by rule, means Lee has to be in USADA’s testing pool for six months.
UFC officials had not yet made a formal announcement of the booking, and also haven’t made an announcement about Lee’s status.
UFC 216 takes place next Saturday, Oct. 7, at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on FX and UFC Fight Pass.It’s possible Faria could remain on the card and if she does, she already has a willing opponent in former Strikeforce women’s bantamweight champ Sarah Kaufman (18-4 MMA, 1-2 UFC). Kaufman posted on her Twitter account after hearing news of Lee’s removal that she would step up for the fight.
“I’ll step in at 135lb with Kalindra next week!” Kaufman wrote. “Talk of us fighting at 135 in December, so let’s just move it up a few months.”
Sarah Kaufman
Kaufman became a free agent after a split-decision loss to Valentina Shevchenko at UFC on FOX 19 in December 2015. It was her second straight setback. The UFC did not re-sign her after the loss. After 16 months off, she fought earlier this year in South Korea and took a decision from Jessy Rose-Clark for her first victory in nearly three years. Now she’s hoping the UFC will give her another shot.
Kaufman started her pro career 12-0, including a Strikeforce title win and defense. She lost the belt to Marloes Coenen in October 2010, but then won three straight to get another shot against Ronda Rousey, who had become the titleholder. She tapped to Rousey’s signature armbar in 54 seconds.
Faria is a 31-year-old Brazilian who made her pro debut nearly nine years ago. She’s currently on a three-fight winning streak, which includes a September 2016 decision victory over vet Carina Damm to claim the Titan FC women’s bantamweight title. Thirteen of Faria’s 18 career wins have come via stoppage.Lee, a 28-year-old Texan, fought earlier this month and defended her LFA belt with a second-round submission victory over Jamie Thorton. It marked her first title defense. Lee, who’s also an Invicta FC vet and former Legacy FC champion, has four straight wins. But it’ll be some time now before she gets back to action.
The latest UFC 216 card includes:
- Tony Ferguson vs. Kevin Lee for interim lightweight title
- Champ Demetrious Johnson vs. Ray Borg for flyweight title
- Derrick Lewis vs. Fabricio Werdum
- Beneil Dariush vs. Evan Dunham
- Tom Duquesnoy vs. Cody Stamann
- Will Brooks vs. Nik Lentz
- Bobby Green vs. Lando Vannata
- Poliana Botelho vs. Pearl Gonzalez
- Mark Godbeer vs. Walt Harris
- Magomed Bibulatov vs. John Moraga
- Thales Leites vs. Brad Tavares
- Marco Beltran vs. Matt Schnell
- Kalindra Faria vs. TBA
For more on UFC 216, check out the UFC Rumors section of the site.
