The UFC 322 preliminary card wound up with a slight alteration this week, as Cody Haddon, who had already made a media day appearance, dropped out of his fight with Malcolm Wellmaker due to injury. Haddon was himself a replacement for Serhiy Sidey, now Haddon has been replaced by Ethan Ewing, with the fight moving up a weight class to featherweight.
Ethan Ewing
Standing at five-foot-eight
Fighting at 135 lbs (bantamweight)
27-years-old
Fighting out of Anaheim Hills, California, US
Training out of CSW Training Center
A pro record of 8-2
6 KO/TKOs, 1 Submission
Credit to Ewing for stepping in on just two days’ notice against a guy most are avoiding. He literally just fought on the seventh, so this is a true quick turnaround. And shout out to the UFC: they could’ve thrown in some short-notice sacrificial lamb, but instead they brought in the A1 Combat champ, a legitimately fun fighter to watch.
Ewing started his pro career 0–2 and has since rattled off eight straight wins. He’s coming off a first-round knockout over Contender Series alum Billy Brand. He’s primarily a striker, someone you’ll almost never see initiate a takedown— and with how sharp his striking is, there’s not much reason for him to wrestle offensively. The real questions are in his wrestling and grappling defense. I don’t agree with the people saying he’s terrible there. I think he’s serviceable. Early in fights he defends well, digging underhooks, circling off, and staying composed. Where he struggles is on re-shots or extended sequences where he has to defend longer. Even then, he does enough right in scrambles that I don’t see it as some glaring liability.
His striking is what makes him special: technical, aggressive, layered. His biggest defensive issue is that he can be vulnerable in exchanges. When he’s pressing forward he moves his head off the centerline well, but in the pocket he can get too comfortable and eat clean shots. Still, he’s not someone you want to stand across from. His chin looks legit and he can sling real heat. Ewing is always pumping the jab and chaining combinations high and to the body. When he walks opponents down to the fence, that’s when he’s at his best: mixing body-head flurries with hard low kicks. He has a sharp lead left hook and can land from both stances. Add in the subtle feints and shot selection and he’s got a complete offensive package. Offensively, he couldn’t do much more; what he needs is to tighten up the defense or hope his durability holds long-term.
Overall, Ewing is a great signing and feels like someone who’ll stick around in the UFC for a while. He looks like Victor Henry, fights a bit like Josh Van, but has his own identity.
Against Wellmaker, Ewing has a real chance to pull off the upset. Wellmaker had a fast start to his career, but I’d argue Ewing beats everyone Wellmaker has beaten. The clearest path for Ewing is volume: he simply throws more. Wellmaker is known for that right hand, but he’s much more than just a hitter, he’s a polished striker whose main gap has been extended combinations. This could also be a fight where Wellmaker turns to his wrestling, because there is a lane there. I’m just not convinced his wrestling is strong enough to win him rounds against UFC-level athletes consistently.
Ewing can be knocked out (he leaves openings) but he appears to have that rock-solid chin that lets him get away with it, at least for now.
I’m predicting Ewing by upset decision.
