Randa Markos Replaces Livinha Souza Against Kanako Murata at UFC Fight Night 182

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Ultimate Fighting Championship strawweight Randa Markos will be looking to break her first career losing streak when she steps into a fight on short notice.

On Tuesday, The Canadian Press put out a story that Randa Markos (10-9-1) was stepping in for Livinha Souza (14-2) to face Kanako Murata (11-1) at strawweight at UFC Fight Night 182. Confirming the news on Thursday was Combate, while also writing that Souza suffered an injury to her shin that will keep her out of action until January.

Markos returns less than two months removed from a first-round armbar defeat to Mackenzie Dern in September. With 20 career fights under her belt, the setback to Dern follows one from Amanda Ribas in March, setting the Canadian on her first losing skid. On the other hand, Markos has not won consecutive bouts since starting her career off at 3-0. Despite a tumultuous UFC tenure, Markos posts wins over names like Carla Esparza, Angela Hill and Aisling Daly.

Murata will be meeting a new opponent for her UFC debut, and this will be her first bout in just over a year. The Japan native took home the Invicta Fighting Championships strawweight crown with a decision over Emily Ducote last November, after making a splash in the organization by tapping Liana Ferreira Pirosin in rapid fashion. The former Rizin Fighting Federation star notched a pair of Von Preux shoulder chokes in the organization, which are still the only two in Rizin history.

Souza was looking to make it two in a row after she took a decision over Ashley Yoder in August. Former Invicta champ “The Brazilian Gangster” made her UFC debut with a pair of wins over Alex Chambers and Sarah Frota, but a decision defeat to fellow Invicta import Brianna Van Buren halted her win streak. The fighter formerly known as Livia Renata Souza has finished her opponent in a wide majority of her bouts, although she has gone the distance in each of her last three.

UFC Fight Night 182 takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Nov. 14, where it will be headlined by a lightweight scrap between Rafael dos Anjos and Islam Makhachev. Drawing the co-main assignment is a potentially high-paced bantamweight battle as Louis Smolka takes on Jose Alberto Quinonez.