Veronica Hardy has been forced out of her scheduled fight against Dione Barbosa at UFC OKC. The UFC has already secured a replacement opponent for Barbosa, according to Barbosa herself.
Veronica Hardy has been pulled from her strawweight matchup against Dione Barbosa at UFC Oklahoma City, with Barbosa herself announcing that the promotion has already lined up a replacement opponent to keep her on the card.
Hardy, 30, carries a record of 10-5-1 and competes out of Renzo Gracie Academy representing Venezuela. The southpaw stands five-foot-four with a 64-inch reach and had been one of the more active strikers in the division, averaging 3.06 significant strikes landed per minute at a 45 percent accuracy rate. Her grappling output is comparatively limited, with fewer than one takedown per 15 minutes and just 0.3 submission attempts in the same window.
Barbosa, nicknamed The Witch, enters the situation still fighting and now awaits a new dance partner. The 34-year-old Brazilian trains out of Kings MMA and brings a 9-4 record into the bout. She stands five-foot-six at 168 centimeters with a matching 66-inch reach and fights out of an orthodox stance. Barbosa blends her striking with a consistent grappling threat, averaging 2.4 takedowns and 1.7 submission attempts per 15 minutes alongside 2.21 significant strikes landed per minute.
Why it matters
- Hardy's withdrawal removes a high-output striker from the card, altering the stylistic challenge Barbosa would have faced.
- Barbosa's mixed game of takedowns and submission attempts may present a very different equation against an as-yet-unnamed replacement.
- The late change leaves Barbosa's preparation in flux ahead of UFC Oklahoma City.
No reason for Hardy's withdrawal has been confirmed, and the identity of the replacement opponent has not yet been revealed.
