Late changes were made to UFC 322 on Thursday, with highly anticipated Malcolm Wellmaker losing an opponent and gaining a new opponent on just two days’ notice.
Cody Haddon was pulled from the card at the last minute due to an injury during training during fight week. As a result, he was removed from the fight and the UFC scrambled to find a replacement.
Joining the fight is Eshin Ewing, who has a record of 8 wins and 2 losses, and will be making his Octagon debut on one of the biggest cards of the year.
Due to a late change, Wellmaker vs. Ewing will be fought as a featherweight bout.
In fact, Ewing just won a first-round knockout of Urijah Faber at the A1 Combat 32 event last weekend. This marked an eight-game winning streak for Ewing, who remained undefeated since losing the first two games of his professional career.
Of those eight wins, Ewing has only gone to a decision once, so it should be an exciting matchup against a big-name knockout artist like Wellmaker.
Wellmaker, a Contender Series veteran, came to the UFC with an impressive undefeated resume and has only improved since his arrival.
Wellmaker is currently 2-0 in the UFC, with both wins coming by vicious knockout, including a first-round finish over Chris Moutinho in June.
Wellmaker vs. Ewing is still scheduled for the preliminary portion of the card, which kicks off Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET at Madison Square Garden in New York.