Alex Oliveira gets short-notice replacement opponent for UFC Vegas 20 as Ramazan Kuramagomedov fills in

UFC welterweight Alex Oliveira will stay on Saturday’s UFC Vegas 20 card after all, with Ramazan Kuramagomedov stepping up on short notice.

Oliveira was originally set to take on Randy Brown in what would have been an exciting bout between two fan favorites. Unfortunately for Oliveira, his status on this weekend’s card was up in the air while the UFC sought out a new opponent. Thankfully, the UFC matchmakers got Kuramagomedov to step up on short notice. The Russian will now make his UFC debut this Saturday against Oliveira, with MMAjunkie.com first reporting the news.

Oliveira (22-9-1, 2 NC) is coming into this fight off of a submission loss to Shavkat Rakhmonov in his last outing at UFC 254. To make matters worse for “Cowboy,” he also missed weight in that fight. The loss snapped a two-fight winning streak over Peter Sobotta and Max Griffin for the 33-year-old Brazilian, and overall he is just 2-4 over his last six fights. With the UFC cutting fighters from the depths of its roster, it’s possible Oliveira could be at the risk of being a cut casualty if he doesn’t win this fight this weekend.

Kuramagomedov (8-0) will be making his UFC debut in this bout against Oliveira, stepping up on short notice. The Russian fighter was on Dana White’s Contender Series in 2019, defeating Jordan Williams via a split decision in a fight that White passed on signing Kurmagomedov. Since then, he has gone out there and beaten two opponents via submission, showing White that he has what it takes to finish his opponents. It’s another example of why DWCS fighters need to keep getting wins on the regional scene if they don’t get picked up by White, because you never know when there will be a short-notice opportunity such as this one.

Who do you think wins this Saturday at UFC Vegas 20 between Alex Oliveira and Ramazan Kuramagomedov?