UFC 329 Scrambles as Ode Osbourne and Ethyn Ewing Withdraw Days Before McGregor vs. Holloway

UFC 329 has lost two key undercard pieces in the final stretch before the July 11 pay-per-view at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, a late shakeup that underscores how quickly fight-week planning can unravel. Flyweight Ode Osbourne and bantamweight Ethyn Ewing have both withdrawn due to injuries, leaving the promotion to scramble for replacement matchups during International Fight Week.

According to the report, Osbourne’s exit came first. Osbourne confirmed on June 24 that he would not be able to compete on July 11, explaining that he needed to pull out due to an injury, while expressing disappointment that the work put in over prior weeks would not reach fight-night. In the scramble that followed, UFC matchmakers filled the void by pairing Cody Durden with Alessandro Costa on short notice, with Costa stepping in to face Durden for that flyweight bout.

The second withdrawal pushed another undercard fight into limbo. A matchup between Ewing and Farid Basharat was also scrapped after Ewing was forced out with an injury. The report framed the original pairing as a clash between rising undefeated talents, and it notes that both fighters had been moved onto the UFC 329 card from an earlier plan.

With Ewing out, UFC now faces a specific scheduling problem: keeping Basharat active while still protecting the integrity of the card. Basharat is still expected to compete on July 11, but the promotion has to locate a short-notice opponent, a process that can affect preparation time, weight-cut timing, and stylistic matchup planning for a prospect trying to build a momentum run.

The disruptions arrive alongside the larger headline attraction that anchors the evening. UFC 329 is headlined by Conor McGregor against Max Holloway in a welterweight rematch, set for July 11 at T-Mobile Arena. That main event picture has been in focus for weeks, but the undercard reshaping may still matter, because many fans, broadcasters, and sponsors track the event’s full depth rather than the top bout alone.

Late replacements also alter the risk calculus for the fighters who remain. Costa’s step-in against Durden, for example, changes the week’s game plan and can shift tactical emphasis, since opponents typically prepare for specific tendencies, stance matchups, and entries that only become clear once a full film-and-training camp cycle is complete. For Basharat, the open question is even more direct: until a replacement name is locked, his immediate title-trajectory indicating win on July 11 becomes a matchup dependent variable rather than a fully controlled design.

What to watch next is whether the UFC can secure a credible, acceptable short-notice opponent for Basharat quickly, and whether any additional bout changes appear before weigh-in. The promotion’s ability to stabilize the card in the days leading up to the event will be a key storyline, particularly for a prospect like Basharat whose next-career chapter depends on landing the right version of a fight-week readiness window.

If UFC 329’s main event is the centerpiece, the undercard remains the pressure gauge. Two withdrawals so close to fight night suggest that even for a highly anticipated card, planning has real friction at the athlete level, and the remaining fighters may need to adapt just as quickly as the matchmakers do.