UFC 334 Shuffles the Deck: Cesar Almeida Steps In to Face Undefeated Prospect

UFC 334 just lost a top prospect, and the promotion's solution is to throw a 38-year-old kickboxer coming off a brutal knockout right back into the fire.

MMA Fighting reports that Baisangur Susurkaev is out of his scheduled November 14 bout in New York City. Stepping in on short notice to face undefeated newcomer Donte Johnson is Cesar Almeida, a man who apparently does not believe in taking a vacation.

"MMA Fighting reported the matchup change for the New York City card."

Almeida is currently 3-3 in the UFC and 7-3 overall. If you have watched him fight, you know exactly what you are getting. He boasts a 60 percent striking accuracy and a literal zero percent takedown accuracy, making him the MMA equivalent of a pitcher who only throws fastballs and refuses to learn a changeup.

The matchmaking here is objectively hilarious. Johnson is 9-0 and making his promotional debut, while Almeida is just three months removed from getting flatlined by Damian Pinas in the first round at UFC 329. Throwing an aging striker with zero ground game at a hungry undefeated prospect is the kind of setup you usually only see in a video game when someone accidentally unplugs player two's controller.

For anyone looking at the lines for the New York card, this completely flips the handicap. You are no longer evaluating two prospects trying to climb the ladder. You are looking at a classic trap fight where Almeida is a pure knockout-or-bust dart throw against a guy looking to make a name for himself.

We will see if the veteran can actually defend a takedown this time around when the cage locks on November 14. If he cannot keep the fight standing, his UFC run might be wrapping up faster than his last fight did.