"It's MY MF time": Fury FC champion Carlos Calderon lands UFC debut on four days' notice
Calderon replaces the injured Lucas Brennan against Austin Bashi at UFC Vegas 124, two years after losing on the Contender Series.
Fury FC featherweight champion Carlos Calderon will make his UFC debut against Austin Bashi at UFC Vegas 124 on Saturday 7 November, taking the fight on four days' notice at the Meta APEX in Las Vegas. MMA Fighting's Mike Heck confirmed the fight with sources.
Calderon (11-4, 1 NC) replaces Lucas Brennan, who tore his ACL. "God makes no mistakes in his timing," Calderon wrote on his Instagram Story, Bloody Elbow reported. "Lord give me strength as I step into this next chapter. It's MY MF time."
The call-up also ends a fight he already had booked. Calderon was due to face unbeaten Dimitri Jioev (8-0) in January 2027, and that bout has been cancelled. He is on a three-fight win streak and 5-1 in his last six, and last month he defended his Fury FC title with a five-round unanimous decision over Lorram Esteves.
It is his second run at a place in the UFC. On 1 October 2024 Calderon lost to Alberto Montes on Dana White's Contender Series at the UFC Apex, tapping to an anaconda choke at 2:38 of round two, and Montes was awarded the contract.
Bashi (14-2) was signed off the Contender Series in 2024. He lost his undefeated record to Christian Rodriguez, submitted John Yannis in the first round, then dropped a decision to Jose Delgado in July.
Calderon's is not the only late change to the card. Waldo Cortes-Acosta and Johnny Walker now headline at heavyweight after Sean Brady said a staph infection forced him out of his main event against Gabriel Bonfim. Tatiana Suarez and Virna Jandiroba meet in the co-main event, and England's Davey Grant faces Elijah Smith on the main card.
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