UFC 316 was building up to be one of the year’s most stacked shows. With Merab Dvalishvili and Sean O’Malley set to fight again and Kayla Harrison looking for bantamweight gold, the Prudential Center in Newark was promised a show. But just as fans were feeling comfortable, a slew of cancellations began to eat away at the card, until Dana White and his team decided to carry out a last-minute rescue mission that might result in one of the most dramatic debuts in recent memory.

Andreas Gustafsson was set to have his UFC moment at UFC Vegas 107. He had been eyeing this stage for a long time as a powerful Swedish veteran known for his finishes and grit. But fate had other plans. First, Jeremiah Wells backed out. Then Trevin Giles, his final scheduled opponent, had an accident while cutting weight, apparently hitting his head, thus forcing him to withdraw.

‘Bane’ was left without a fight. But instead of sending him home, Dana White and the UFC officials stopped his departure, and now we know why. As reported by FrontkickOnline and confirmed by Marcel Dorff, Gustafsson will now face Khaos Williams at UFC 316 in a bout that literally came together at the 11th hour.

Williams was originally matched with Uros Medic; however, Medic was unable to compete due to a sinus infection. Enter Albert Tadevosyan—only for him to fall out days later due to an issue with his physicals. Two opponents gone. Two men—Williams and Gustafsson—stuck in limbo.

That’s when Dana White decided to keep Gustafsson in the United States, rebooking him for a high-stakes debut versus one of the most powerful hitters in the welterweight division. And it’s perfect—at least for fight fans. ‘Bane’ has an 11-2 professional record, with ten of those wins coming by finish.

Meanwhile, Williams has knockout victories over Miguel Baeza, Alex Morono, and Abdul Razak Alhassan. He’s 6-3 in the UFC, and while he lost his prior fight to Gabriel Bonfim, few doubt the tremendous force he brings to every fight. So, yes, UFC 316 took some serious shots during fight week, but refused to go down without fight.

And, with Dana White and Co. ensuring that Andreas Gustafsson did not leave the country, we may have just ended up with a debut worth remembering. But it is worth noting that Williams wasn’t the only fight that faced a roadblock, as UFC 316 also lost a former title challenger from the card.

Chito Vera pulls out of Dana White’s UFC 316

Andreas Gustafsson’s dramatic rebooking wasn’t the only hiccup that the UFC 316 card faced. Some time ago, Marlon “Chito” Vera, the Ecuadorian fan favorite and former title challenger, discreetly withdrew from his scheduled bout against Mario Bautista. Just a void—one that was felt deeply by a card already struggling to stay upright, causing more trouble for CEO Dana White.

However, he later confirmed that it was due to an injury. It didn’t cause panic at the time, but looking back, it was one of the first dominoes to fall before the true chaos of fight week began. This was supposed to be Vera’s comeback—a chance to put a difficult run behind him and remind fans why he once competed against Sean O’Malley for the UFC title.

Instead, his absence adds another frustrating chapter to a slump that has seen him lose three of his past four fights, including a disappointing loss to Deiveson Figueiredo at UFC Abu Dhabi. The timing could not have been worse. Vera required momentum. UFC 316 required reliability. Both received neither.

Meanwhile, Dana White has worked on the card again, as Bautista will now face former Bellator champion Patchy Mix. The 31-year-old is on a seven-fight winning streak, including victories over the famous Jose Aldo. So, he will be looking forward to grabbing another win at the major event. But for now, all eyes will be on the debutant Gustafsson, as he finally gets the stage to shine. Do you think he will win? Let us know in the comments.