Heavyweight Chris Barnett didn’t get to make the trip to Las Vegas for UFC Vegas 98 this weekend, where he was to have faced Junior Tafa.
Barnett (23-8), who was forced to pull out of the fight as Hurricane Milton battered Tampa, Florida where he resides, has been re-booked however. He’ll face Kennedy Nzechukwu (12-5) at UFC 308 on October 26, 2024. That’s just two weeks away, but with Barnett booked for tonight’s Fight Night card, he’s no doubt chomping at the bit to get in the cage.
Promotion officials announced the new date and opponent during the UFC Vegas 98 broadcast. The booking means Barnett will get to compete in front of fans, rather than at the UFC Apex.
To add an interesting twist, Nzechukwu was to have faced Justin Tafa, brother of Junior Tafa, Barnett’s original opponent. It’s not the first time the brothers have swapped opponents either. That happened earlier this year, when Marcos Rogerio de Lima saw Junior Tafa replace Justin in their February fight.
As for Barnett, the Tampa, Florida native last fought in 2022, earning a win over Jake Collier that September. He has not competed since, with a mixture of illness and injury, as well as the May 2022 death of his wife, complicating fighting for the popular heavyweight.
Nzechukwu will look to snap a two-fight skid in the bout, including a loss to Ovince Saint Preux, who recently departed the UFC.
UFC 308 takes place in Abu Dhabi on October 26, 2024 with the following fights anticipated for the event:
- Ilia Topuria (c) vs. Max Holloway – for the UFC featherweight championship
- Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
- Lerone Murphy vs. Dan Ige
- Magomed Ankalaev vs. Aleksandar Rakić
- Sharabutdin Magomedov vs. Armen Petrosyan
- Geoff Neal vs. Rafael dos Anjos
- Mateusz Rębecki vs. Myktybek Orolbai
- Said Nurmagomedov vs. Daniel Santos
- Abusupiyan Magomedov vs. Brunno Ferreira
- Farid Basharat vs. Victor Hugo
- Ismail Naurdiev vs. Bruno Silva
- Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Nursulton Ruziboev
- Ibo Aslan vs. Raffael Cerqueira
- Kennedy Nzechukwu vs. Chris Barnett
