Jessica Penne vs. Jodie Esquibel fight off at UFC Phoenix

The return of Jessica Penne and Jodie Esquibel to the Octagon will have to wait a little bit longer.

Penne’s fight against Jodie Esquibel at Sunday night’s UFC Phoenix has been called off due to an injury to Penne, according to UFC officials via MMA Fighting’s Marc Raimondi. ESPN broke the story earlier Sunday afternoon.

The UFC released the following statement Sunday:

“Due to injury, Jessica Penne has been removed from her Sunday bout against Jodie Esquibel. The UFC Phoenix card, which airs on ESPN and is headlined by the heavyweight bout between Cain Velasquez and Francis Ngannou, will proceed as scheduled with 12 bouts.”

Penne was one of three fighters to miss weight Saturday morning. She missed by two pounds as she weighed in at 118 pounds.

Penne (12-5) last fought at UFC Fight Night 108 where she lost via unanimous decision to Danielle Taylor on April 22, 2017. She was suspended for an anti-doping violation after that fight for 18 months, becoming eligible to fight again last fall.

Esquibel (6-4) hasn’t fought since last July when she lost to Jessica Aguilar via unanimous decision.

Update: Penne released a statement on Instagram.