Almeida steps in at UFC 334 after unbeaten prospect Susurkaev withdraws from MSG card

Cesar Almeida has been drafted into UFC 334 to replace undefeated middleweight prospect Baisangur Susurkaev, who has withdrawn from the November 14 card at Madison Square Garden in New York. Bout contracts are still to be officially signed, according to MMA Fighting’s Damon Martin and Mike Heck, who confirmed the change with sources familiar with the situation.

Susurkaev, 25, arrived at UFC 334 as one of the promotion’s most exciting young middleweights. He earned his UFC contract via Dana White’s Contender Series in 2025 and won each of his first three promotional bouts by knockout or submission, building a perfect 12-0 professional record in the process. The reason for his withdrawal has not been disclosed.

His original opponent, Donte Johnson (9-0), was also signed through the Contender Series in 2025 and has since posted three straight UFC victories over Eric McConico, Cody Brundage, and Sedriques Dumas. The matchup had been billed as a clash between two of the division’s top unbeaten prospects.

Almeida (7-3) brings a very different profile to the fight. An experienced kickboxer, he announced himself in the UFC with a spectacular first-round knockout of Abdul Razak Alhassan on debut, but has since dropped back-to-back decisions — most recently suffering a KO loss to Damian Pinas at UFC 329. He now faces arguably the stiffest test of his UFC tenure in the unbeaten Johnson.

The updated UFC 334 card, headlined by Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit and Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes, is as follows:

UFC 334 — November 14, Madison Square Garden, New York

Ciryl Gane vs. Josh Hokit

Kayla Harrison vs. Amanda Nunes

Caio Borralho vs. Yousri Belgaroui

Uros Medic vs. Kevin Holland

Bilal Hasan vs. Luis Gurule

Drew Dober vs. Chris Duncan

Stephen Thompson vs. Charles Radtke

Donte Johnson vs. Cesar Almeida

Jim Miller vs. Terrance McKinney

Bia Mesquita vs. Macy Chiasson

Adrian Yanez vs. Juan Diaz