It has been a long time since the UFC was back putting on live events but that is set to change next weekend with a return to the Apex in Las Vegas.
With just one week to go until the Fight Night event on January 13, multiple changes have been made to the card.
The undefeated Jacobe Smith will be making his UFC debut on short notice after he earned his contract via a second-finish on Dana White's Contender Series this past October.
With seven of his nine wins being finishes, the new arrival now has a big opportunity on his hands to kick off his 2025 campaign with a win.
Smith will be replacing Andreas Gustafsson to take on Preston Parsons who will be looking to rebound from his loss to Oban Elliott at UFC 304.
Parsons has alternated wins and loss during his five fights with the promotion, recording victories over Evan Elder and Matthew Semelsberger.
The new match-up was first reported by MMA Junkie before being confirmed by various other sources.
Another change to the card sees another replacement opponent step in as Joe Solecki takes the spot of Yanal Ashmouz to face Nurullo Aliev.
Aliev has an undefeated record of 9-0 but he hasn't fought since he made his UFC debut all the way back in February of 2023 where he defeated Rafael Alves via a majority decision.
Solecki, on the other hand, is a UFC veteran of eight fights but he's currently coming off of back-to-back losses to Grant Dawson and Drakkar KIose.
The main event is set to be contested in the strawweight division where Mackenzie Dern will face Amanda Ribas in a rematch of their 2019 encounter.
It is currently unknown why both Gustafsson and Ashmouz withdrew from their scheduled bouts.
