Chris Barnett is stepping in on short notice to fight Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 308 in Abu Dhabi after replacing Justin Tafa, marking his return to the octagon for the first time in over a year.
Chris Barnett’s got his bags packed for Abu Dhabi. He’s stepping in on short notice—just two weeks—to face Kennedy Nzechukwu at UFC 308. This event will go down on October 26 at Etihad Arena. The news? It broke during Saturday’s UFC Vegas 98 broadcast.
Barnett’s stepping up to replace Justin Tafa, who mysteriously vanished from the card. No one’s saying why. Originally, Barnett was supposed to fight at the UFC APEX event last Saturday. But Hurricane Milton had other plans.
It’s been a hot minute since Barnett’s graced the octagon—over two years! His last fight? A second-round TKO win against Jake Collier at UFC 279 in September 2022. “Beastboy” has a mixed bag of results, sitting at 2-2 in his UFC journey. Who could forget that epic stoppage of Gian Villante at UFC 268 in Madison Square Garden?
Meanwhile, Nzechukwu’s hoping to break a two-fight losing streak. And guess what? He’s moving up to heavyweight for the first time in his UFC career.
Oh, and don’t forget—UFC 308 is headlined by a featherweight title clash between Ilia Topuria and Max Holloway. It’s gonna be fireworks!