Makhachev Teammate Steps In For Neal At UFC 330

Joel Alvarez will replace injured Geoff Neal against Chidi Njokuani on the UFC 330 undercard later this month.

Alvarez recently joined Islam Makhachev's training camp and now finds himself fighting on the same card as the UFC welterweight champion, who defends his belt against Ian Machado Garry in the Aug. 15 main event. Neal withdrew from the bout due to injury, per journalist Alvaro Colmenero, who first reported the matchup change.

Alvarez Brings Four-Fight Stretch To Welterweight

The Spanish fighter has won four of his last five, including a unanimous decision over Vicente Luque in his welterweight debut last October. His lone recent loss came by submission to Yaroslav Amosov at UFC 328 earlier this year. Njokuani enters the bout searching for momentum after consecutive losses to Carlos Leal and Jake Matthews. His most recent victory came against Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos in March 2025.

Makhachev claimed the welterweight strap at UFC 322 last year by outpointing Jack Della Maddalena and has not lost since getting knocked out by Adriano Martins at UFC 192. The card also features a strawweight title co-main event between champion Mackenzie Dern and Gillian Robertson.

UFC 330 takes place Aug. 15 with Alvarez looking to add depth to a card headlined by two title fights.

Reported via:

• BJPenn — Islam Makhachev’s teammate set to replace Geoff Neal in UFC 330 undercard bout