Dylan Budka makes UFC debut vs. Cesar Almeida on short notice

Two Dana White’s Contender Series standouts will debut against one another in the UFC.

With Josh Fremd out, Dylan Budka (7-2 MMA, 0-0 UFC) steps in on less than one month’s notice to fight former Glory Kickboxing standout Cesar Almeida (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) at a UFC Fight Night event April 6 from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. It is unclear why Fremd withdrew.

Budka, 24, is a former LFA title challenger who did enough to earn a UFC contract after his performance on DWCS. Budka defeated Chad Hanekom by unanimous decision in a fairly uneventful bout, but UFC CEO Dana White attributed the low excitement level to the opposition. Budka has three finishes in seven pro fights.

Almeida, 35, defeated Lucas Fernando on DWCS in August to earn his UFC deal. Despite his striking prowess, Almeida showed off an educated ground game that wowed White. Almeida was scheduled to debut vs. Christian Leroy Duncan in November, but withdrew due to an infection.

With the change, the UFC Fight Night lineup for April 6 includes:

• Marvin Vettori vs. Brendan Allen
• Norma Dumont vs. Germaine de Randamie
• Alexander Hernandez vs. Damon Jackson
• Heili Alateng vs. Victor Hugo
• Charlie Campbell vs. Trevor Peek
• Lukasz Brzeski vs. Valter Walker
• Ignacio Bahamondes vs. Christos Giagos
• Nora Cornolle vs. Melissa Mullins
• Cynthia Calvillo vs. Piera Rodriguez
• Dan Argueta vs. Jean Matsumoto
• Court McGee vs. Alex Morono
• Morgan Charriere vs. Jose Marsical
• Cesar Almeida vs. Dylan Budka

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for the UFC Fight Night event April 6.