Attack of the mosquitos! Rashy debutant taken down by blood-sucking bugs, forced to bail on UFC Vegas 89

The skeeter beat her.

Stephanie Luciano was expected to make her Octagon debut opposite fellow Dana White’s “Contender Series” strawweight Julia Polastri as part of the upcoming UFC Vegas 89 fight card at APEX. Unfortunately, “Rodinha” was stricken with Dengue fever and forced to withdraw from the March 23 lineup in “Sin City.”

“I’m not feeling well, with pain in the body and joints, fever and headache, so my team and I made the decision to cancel the fight,” Luciano said on Instagram. “Unfortunately, we had to cancel the fight. I know a lot of people was anxious to see me debut, and it was so close already, but we can’t control these things. We can’t predict this. I’ll take care of myself, take care of my health, and I want to fight as soon as possible.”

This is not the first (or even second) time a fighter has been felled by blood-sucking bugs. In fact, Luciano’s home country of Brazil is currently facing a major health crisis, having already registered more than one million cases of the mosquito-borne disease. Authorities are currently rolling out a public vaccination campaign, according to Nature.com.

The 24 year-old Luciano scored a UFC contract with her breakout performance against Talita Alencar last fall. Matchmakers were unable to secure a replacement opponent for Polastri, according to MMA Fighting, which suggests the promotion will reschedule this bout once Luciano recovers from her illness.

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For more on the upcoming UFC Vegas 89 event at APEX click here.