Jack Della Maddalena will welcome an undefeated prospect to the octagon at UFC 290.
Brady has been forced out of Saturday’s event and newcomer Josiah Harrell (7-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC) will step in on short notice to face Della Maddalena (14-2 MMA, 4-0 UFC) at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims on ABC/ESPN and early prelims on ESPN+.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie of the booking but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. The matchup was first reported by UFC welterweight Matt Brown and reporter Cole Shelton.
UFC welterweights Joaquin Buckley, Kevin Holland and Chris Curtis all offered to step in against Maddalena, but the fights didn’t materialize. Maddalena is perfect in the octagon after four bouts and is coming off a first-round submission of Randy Brown at UFC 284 in February.
Unbeaten in his professional MMA career, Harrell competed less than a month ago and scored a third-round TKO of Mike Roberts at LFA 160. Harrell has finished all seven of his pro fights.
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 290.
