“I’m sorry you guys want to be force-fed this horrible interim title fight – yes, exactly interim, because they’re going to keep the belt warm until I come back,” the American said on another edition of The MMA Hour program. “I apologize that I can’t participate, but my next fight will be for the title. Whichever one of these girls wins, I’m going to fight the winner.”
“I know not everyone believed me when I said I had to withdraw from my third fight with Amanda Nunes, but I did have an injury and I’m still trying to heal it. I won’t be specific, let it remain a secret, but yes, I’m injured and I won’t be back until the summer”
As a reminder, the featherweight title fight between Raquel Pennington and Mayra Bueno Silva will be the second main event of UFC 297, which will take place on January 20 in Toronto, Canada.