UFC 329 loses up-and-coming prospect due to injury

Ethyn Ewing has withdrawn from UFC 329 due to an undisclosed injury, forcing the promotion to seek a replacement opponent for Farid Basharat on short notice. Ewing's bantamweight matchup was scheduled for the early preliminary card at the July 11 event, headlined by Max Holloway versus Conor McGregor at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Ewing's exit comes at an inopportune moment for the promising prospect. The Las Vegas-based fighter has won 10 consecutive fights, including two under the UFC banner. Most recently, he turned heads with an upset victory over highly regarded Malcolm Wellmaker at UFC 322, then followed that performance with a third-round knockout of Rafael Estevam on April 4 at UFC Fight Night 272. Despite starting his professional career with two losses, Ewing has built considerable momentum and established himself as one of the promotion's intriguing young talents.

Basharat, meanwhile, brings an undefeated 15-0 record and six UFC victories to the matchup. The 28-year-old most recently competed at UFC Fight Night 266, where he took a split decision loss to Jean Matsumoto on February 7. The UFC will look to find a suitable replacement to keep Basharat active on the card as the promotion continues preparations for what is shaping up to be a major event on July 11, with the entire card streaming on Paramount+.