Michelle Waterson injured, out of UFC 194 bout with Tecia Torres

Michelle Waterson has been forced out of her pivotal women's strawweight contest against top ranked Tecia Torres at next month's UFC 194 with an injury. Following an initial report from MMAjunkie.com, UFC officials confirmed the news on Tuesday.

The winner of Torres vs. Waterson would have been very close to a shot at the 115-pound belt, currently held by Joanna Jedrzejczyk.

Torres (6-0) is undefeated as a professional mixed martial artist and is officially 2-0 inside the Octagon with decisions over Angela Hill and Angela Magana.

Waterson (13-4) made her promotional debut this past July at The Ultimate Fighter 21 Finale against Magana, and picked up an impressive third-round submission victory. The 29-year old is the former Invicta FC atomweight titleholder and is 7-1 in her last eight outings.

The organization is currently looking for a replacement fighter to square off with Torres on short notice.

UFC 194 takes place live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Dec. 12. In the main event, Jose Aldo faces Conor McGregor in a featherweight title unification bout. Also on the card, middleweight titleholder Chris Weidman defends his strap against Luke Rockhold, and 185-pound contenders Ronaldo Souza and Yoel Romero collide.