Carlos Calderon will make his UFC debut on short notice against Austin Bashi at UFC Vegas 124 after Lucas Brennan withdrew with a torn ACL.
The Story
UFC Vegas 124 at the UFC’s Meta APEX facility has undergone another late change, with Carlos Calderon stepping in on very short notice to fight Austin Bashi.
The card was first reshaped when Sean Brady was forced out of the originally scheduled main event after a staph infection, leading the UFC to pivot to a new heavyweight headliner featuring Waldo Cortes-Acosta vs. Johnny Walker.
A further adjustment came as fight week progressed: Lucas Brennan withdrew from his matchup with Bashi after suffering a torn ACL, and Calderon was added to the card to take his place.
Bashi, 25, began his professional career with a 12-0 start and earned a UFC contract after submitting Dorian Ramos in the second round to win a spot on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024. He made his UFC debut four months later, was upset by Christian Rodriguez, and then returned later in 2024 to secure his first UFC victory with a submission of John Yannis. Most recently, Bashi competed at UFC Oklahoma City in July, dropping a decision to Jose Delgado.
Calderon will be entering the UFC as a short-notice replacement, despite already having been scheduled to defend his featherweight title at Fury FC 127 on January 15. He previously appeared on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2024 and was submitted by Alberto Montes in the second round, then rebounded by winning back-to-back Fury FC fights less than a month apart. That run ended with a split decision loss to close out 2025, but Calderon opened 2026 with a first-round finish and later submitted UFC veteran Damon Jackson in May to claim the Fury FC featherweight belt. He then successfully defended that belt just over a month before the UFC announcement.
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