Marlon Vera and Mario Bautista will still compete, but just a few weeks later.
The UFC announced on Tuesday that the bantamweight bout between Vera and Bautista now takes place at UFC 316, which takes place June 7 at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. The contest was initially set to take place at UFC Des Moines on May 3. No word as to why the bout was moved.
UFC 316 is headlined by a championship rematch between Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley, while Kayla Harrison challenges Julianna Peña for the women’s 135-pound title in the co-main event.
“Chito” makes his first appearance of 2025 after going winless in 2024. Vera challenged for the bantamweight title in the main event of UFC 299 this past March and lost a lopsided decision to O’Malley. The 32-year-old returned this past August to face former flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo and dropped a unanimous decision at UFC Abu Dhabi.
Bautista enters another big fight on the heels of an impressive seven-fight win streak. In his most recent bout, the MMA Lab standout picked up a controversial split decision win over two-time featherweight champ Jose Aldo at UFC 307 this past October.
The promotion also officially announced that Johnny Walker will square off against Azamat Murzakanov in a light heavyweight contest.