UFC 317 faces a late change just days before the pay-per-view event is set to take place.
Sedriques Dumas has withdrawn from his scheduled middleweight matchup against fellow competitor Jackson McVey for undisclosed reasons. Stepping in on short notice will be another undefeated fighter making his promotional debut, Christopher Ewert.
Ewert, a 31-year-old prospect, made his professional debut in December 2022. With an undefeated record of 8-0, he now gets his UFC debut less than three years into his career at the promotion’s annual International Fight Week card. Ewert was originally slated to compete on Dana White’s Contender Series in August but receives the call-up sooner. His recent victories include a first-round knockout against AJ Chambers and a decision victory against Reese Watkins during his time with Fury FC.
His opponent, McVey, also holds a perfect record at 6-0, remarkably finishing all of his professional opponents in the first round. The 26-year-old has spent minimal time in the cage, with only one of his fights extending beyond the two-minute mark.
The UFC 317 event is headlined by a fight for the vacant lightweight championship, pitting former featherweight king Ilia Topuria against former 155-pound titleholder Charles Oliveira. In the co-main event slot, Alexandre Pantoja will defend his flyweight title against hard-hitting knockout artist Kai Kara-France.
