John Garza was halfway packed for a title fight back home in Texas when the UFC called and changed everything. Six days before UFC 329, the 23-year-old bantamweight from Dallas accepted a debut shot against Farid Basharat before the offer had even finished landing.
That kind of call is rare even by UFC standards. Garza brings a six-win, one-loss record and a five-fight streak into the biggest assignment of his career, while Basharat arrives unbeaten in his professional career and unbeaten inside the Octagon. The bout is set for 11 July 2026 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas on a card headlined by the return of Conor McGregor, which turns a late replacement into part of a much larger stage.
Garza has spent the last two years moving fast through the regional ranks. He turned pro in early 2024 after a 7-3 amateur run, opened with a first-round submission, then was stopped with strikes two months later. From there he settled into a stronger stretch, fighting as a Fury Fighting Championship prospect out of AZTEX MMA early in his run before going 4-0 under the Fury FC banner and 3-0 across one calendar year. He added another finish at Fury FC 114 in January 2026 and was already slated to headline for the Fury FC bantamweight title at Fury FC 123 in August before the UFC call arrived.
The late opening came when Ethyn Ewing withdrew injured, and Garza became the one who said yes. That matters because the step up is not just to the UFC, but to a debut against a fighter in Farid Basharat who is built to punish hesitation. Basharat is described as a chain-wrestling technician and is competing on the final fight of his current deal, which adds another layer to a matchup that is already uneven on paper.
For Garza, the next six days are the whole story. He is not just filling a slot on UFC 329; he is trying to turn a short-notice call into a first impression that holds up against an unbeaten opponent with more to lose than a debutant usually gets in his first trip through the door.
