Gable Steveson moved to Prelims as UFC 329 opener scrapped

The UFC 329 fight card lost its opening bout Tuesday when flyweight Ode Osbourne pulled out of his scheduled matchup against Cody Durden on July 11 in Las Vegas.

Osbourne announced the withdrawal on Instagram without giving a specific reason. "This breaks my heart because it's such a big stage, and my team and I have put in a lot of hard work over the past eight weeks," he wrote, per MMA Mania. "I'm going to rest and be back for the next one."

Steveson bumped to Paramount+ Prelims

Durden confirmed the news on X, posting that his opponent "has officially went running and pulled out of our fight" and asked if anyone wanted to step in on 19 days' notice. The promotion has not indicated whether it will find a replacement or remove Durden from the card entirely.

In a separate lineup change reported by MMA Mania, heavyweight prospect Gable Steveson was moved from the main card to the preliminary portion streaming on Paramount+. The Olympic gold medalist and former WWE developmental washout will now face Elisha Ellison in a bout that no longer carries pay-per-view placement.

UFC 329 is headlined by the welterweight return of former two-division champion Conor McGregor against ex-featherweight titleholder Max Holloway.

Reported via:

• MMA Mania — Opening fight canceled, Gable Steveson dumped on Prelims in latest UFC 329 fight card update — ‘Breaks my heart’