UFC’s October 28th card has underwent some last minute changes. The card has been given two new matchups in recent days, keeping some fighters in the lineup and maintaining an 11-fight card in total.
The changes affect a show that is expected to take place at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
LFA Champion Mota Steps In To Face Durden
Carlos Mota will get his first UFC opportunity this weekend, taking a short-notice flyweight opportunity against Cody Durden. He is stepping in to replace Kleydson Rodrigues, who had to withdraw from his booking against Durden recently.
The matchup was first reported by Guilherme Cruz of MMA Fighting.
Mota became the LFA Flyweight Champion in his last appearance, scoring a first-round finish win over Rizvan Abuev in August. The fight was his second time in an LFA title fight, as he floated around the status as one of their top 125-pound fighters for more than a year.
Mota’s August performance improved his record to an impressive eight wins through nine pro appearances since his 2016 debut.
Durden will be aiming to put together a two-fight winning streak for the first time in his UFC career. His last outing was a quick one, stopping JP Buys in just 68 seconds with punches.
Weems Replaces Armfield, Booked To Face Rodriguez
Another UFC debut will take place when Joshua Weems steps in to fight Christian Rodriguez in a bantamweight fight this weekend.
Weems got the UFC call after Garrett Armfield was pulled from his fight with a staph infection, per an announcement made by him this week. The fight between Weems and Rodriguez was reported Tuesday by Marcel Dorff.
Weems has succeeded on the regional scene this year, securing two consecutive submission wins. He earned the Fury FC Bantamweight Championship in his last fight, submitting prospect Mo Miller with a guillotine choke in June.
Weems notably appeared on the 2021 season of “Dana White’s Contender Series,” where he suffered a loss against Fernie Garcia.
Like Weems, Rodriguez will be searching for his first UFC victory. He took his first pro loss in his promotional debut earlier this year, suffering a unanimous decision defeat to Jonathan Pearce. He had a flawless record of seven wins before then, including a 2021 appearance on “Dana White’s Contender Series.”
Updated Lineup
Rising featherweight Arnold Allen will appear in his first-ever UFC main event this Saturday when he faces Calvin Kattar. He’s an updated look at the “Fight Night” card:
Bout 11: Calvin Kattar (23-6) vs. Arnold Allen (18-1) (Featherweight)
Bout 10: Tim means (32-13-1) vs. Max Griffin (18-9) (Welterweight)
Bout 9: Waldo Cortes-Acosta (7-0) vs. Jared Vanderaa (12-9) (Heavyweight)
Bout 8: Tresean Gore (3-2) vs. Josh Fremd (9-3) (Middleweight)
Bout 7: Dustin Jacoby (18-5-1) vs. Khalil Rountree (10-5) (Light Heavyweight)
Bout 6: Roman Dolidze (10-1) vs. Phil Hawes (12-3) (Middleweight)
Bout 5: Andre Arlovski (34-20) vs. Marcos Rogerio de Lima (19-8-1) (Heavyweight)
Bout 4: Joseph Holmes (8-2) vs. Park Jun-yong (14-5) (Middleweight)
Bout 3: Chase Hooper (11-2-1) vs. Steve Garcia (12-5) (Featherweight)
Bout 2: Cody Durden (13-4-1) vs. Carlos Mota (8-1) (Flyweight)
Bout 1: Joshua Weems (10-2) vs. Christian Rodriguez (7-1) (Bantamweight)
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