UFC 329 is less than a week away now, with International Fight Week in Las Vegas about to kick off, but the card has undergone a late change.
Farid Basharat was expected to face Ethyn Ewing in a bantamweight scrap, but with Ewing injured, it will instead be John Garza stepping in on short notice.
Heavy.com’s Marcel Dorff first reported the news, with Garza’s team, Ranger MMA, confirming he had signed on for the event.
Basharat (15-0) is ranked #15 overall in the UFC’s official rankings as voted on by members of the media, and #10 in its Meta rankings, an AI-fueled rankings panel that it is slowly transitioning to. The Afghan fighter recently revealed that he’s fighting out his contract at the event (h/t MMA Fighting), rolling the dice on a big performance this coming Saturday.
Basharat’s brother Javid did the same earlier this year, and despite picking up a win over Gianni Vázquez was not re-signed by the company. He has since joined the PFL.
Garza (6-1) has won his last five fights, and has gone 4-0 under the Fury FC banner. The 23-year old fighting out of Dallas, Texas turned pro in 2024.
UFC 329 is headlined by the return of Conor McGregor, MMA’s biggest star, who has not competed since breaking his leg in the rubber match of his trilogy with Dustin Poirier five years ago. He’s set to face Max Holloway in a rematch from their featherweight days.
Taking place at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on July 11, 2026, the card now breaks down as follows:
- Conor McGregor vs. Max Holloway
- Benoît Saint Denis vs. Paddy Pimblett
- Cory Sandhagen vs. Mario Bautista
- Brandon Royval vs. Lone’er Kavanagh
- King Green vs. Terrance McKinney
- Robert Whittaker vs. Nikita Krylov
- Gable Steveson vs. Elisha Ellison
- Cody Garbrandt vs. Adrian Yañez
- Luke Riley vs. Kai Kamaka III
- Tracy Cortez vs. Wang Cong
- Damian Pinas vs. César Almeida
- Ryan Gandra vs. Zachary Reese
- Alessandro Costa vs. Cody Durden
- Farid Basharat vs. John Garza
