Dylan Budka Steps in for Short-Notice UFC Debut Against Cesar Almeida

Dylan Budka will make his short-notice Ultimate Fighting Championship debut against fellow newcomer Cesar Almeida on April 6.

Almeida was originally scheduled to face Josh Fremd in a middleweight bout at UFC Fight Night 240 on April 6 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. However, Budka has now stepped in on three weeks’ notice for Fremd, who was forced out due to an injury. The change was first reported by MMAjunkie.com.

Fremd also provided an update on his Instagram Stories, although he didn’t specify the injury. The 30-year-old fighter hopes to avoid surgery and make a return this summer.

“For the [three people] who follow my career: Unfortunately I had to pull [out] from my fight April 6. Been trying to work through an injury to make it to the fight,” Fremd wrote. “I’ve had a series of things out of my control happen, which really aggravated this injury to the point I can't train at full clip [right now]. Hoping to avoid surgery, hit PT really hard, and do what I can so I can fight in the summer. Thank you for the continued support. [You] will see me in the [UFC] cage again soon.”

Almeida earned his contract with a unanimous decision win over Lucas Fernando on Dana White's Contender Series this past August. Prior to that, “Cesinha” had finished all three of his career outings in the first round.

Meanwhile, Budka, also a Contender Series graduate, earned his contract with a unanimous decision win over Chad Hanekom in September.