Unbeaten Garza steps in to face Basharat at UFC 329 after Ewing injury withdrawal

Farid Basharat has a new opponent for UFC 329, with unbeaten prospect John Garza stepping in as a late replacement after Ethyn Ewing was forced out through injury. The bantamweight contest is scheduled for the preliminary card at UFC 329 in Las Vegas on Saturday.

Ewing withdrew from the bout last week after suffering what was described as a “detrimental injury” in training, leaving Basharat without an opponent. The UFC moved quickly to find a replacement and landed on Garza, who will be making his promotional debut.

Basharat enters the fight with a perfect 15-0 professional record and is currently ranked No. 15 in the UFC’s bantamweight media rankings. The 15 wins include six consecutive victories inside the UFC since he signed off the Contender Series in 2022. His most recent outing was a split decision win over fellow prospect Jean Matsumoto at UFC Vegas 113 in February.

Garza, just 23 years old, has been a professional fighter for only two years but arrives with considerable momentum. After dropping his second pro fight, he has not lost since, stringing together five straight wins — primarily in Fury FC — including a second-round knockout of Josh Walker in January. His record stands at 6-1 heading into his UFC debut.

UFC 329 is headlined by a welterweight bout between Conor McGregor and Max Holloway.