Anna Melisano will replace Veronica Hardy against Dione Barbosa at UFC Oklahoma on July 18, both fighters confirmed on social media following a report from Marcel Dorff.
Hardy was forced off the card after suffering a cut in training, she revealed on Monday.
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UFC Oklahoma will take place at the Paycom Center in Oklahoma City and feature a clash of former UFC champions Dricus Du Plessis and Kamaru Usman in a five-round middleweight main event.
Melisano is 6-1 as a professional and was recently featured on The Ultimate Fighter 34. The 29-year-old was coach Michael Bisping’s strawweight first pick, but lost her first bout via first-round submission to Melissa Amaya.
Barbosa (9-4) won three of five under the UFC banner and hopes to keep the momentum going after a decision win over Melissa Gatto in April. “The Witch” has bounced between wins and losses since joining the UFC.
