There aren’t many fighters who get second chances to prove themselves in the UFC. However, 27-year-old Josiah Harrell fought the toughest battle of his life to earn another shot at Dana White’s promotion. After suffering a traumatic brain injury and undergoing major surgery, the Ohio native is now set to finally make his debut inside the Octagon.

On February 21st, the UFC will make its long-awaited return to Houston with its first crowd-packed Fight Night event under the Paramount+ CBS era. On the card, Harrell will replace an injured Seok Hyun Ko to face Jacob Smith in a short-notice welterweight bout, as the promotion announced on Friday.

Josiah Harrell is all set to make debut at UFC Houston

“Quite the redemption story unfolding. Josiah Harrell has signed with the UFC, per his coach Matt Brown @IamTheImmortal and manager Sports Marketing & Management @ko_reps.” MMA Junkie’s Nolan King posted on X. “Harrell was diagnosed with a rare brain disease, detected before a scheduled UFC fight vs. JDM in 2023. He underwent brain surgery and is 4-0 since,” he added.

For quite some time, Harrell has been viewed as one of the top prospects in MMA. With an undefeated record and an aggressive fighting style, the UFC matched ‘Muscle Hamster’ against former 170 lbs champ Jack Della Maddalena in 2023. But unfortunately, 27-year-old’s debut never materialized after doctors diagnosed him with the rare moyamoya brain disease, a condition that restricts blood flow to the brain.

With the will of a warrior, the Ohio native battled the disease and went through surgery. When he finally returned, Harrell performed as if he had never left the cage. He stacked four wins in a row, performing on the local circuit, and captured the welterweight belt at Ohio Combat League 39 against Kegan Gennrich. Following the Ohio league, Harrell then defeated Bekmyrza Dosmatov at LFA 224, proving he was truly back.

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That’s a stellar comeback, as Harrell extended his unblemished record to 11-0. However, as the Matt Brown-trained fighter became a powerful example of battling a serious illness and returning stronger, he wasn’t alone in that journey. Back in 2019, Team Alpha Male’s Vince Murdock also fought through the same moyamoya disease before making his UFC debut against Jordan Griffin.

Now, as the undefeated prospect steps in on short notice to save a fight at the Houston event, another bout on the card has also gone through a late shake-up just days before Fight Night.

Another major replacement has taken place ahead of the Houston Fight Night event

In the star-studded lineup of UFC Houston, fans were also eager to see former UFC fighter Paige VanZant’s husband, Austin Vanderford, showcase his skills inside the Octagon. After a rough first outing where ‘The Gentleman’ got caught in a guillotine by Ramiz Brahimaj, the 35-year-old was scheduled to face Jean Paul Lebosnoyani in Houston. But before the fight could take place, it fizzled out for undisclosed reasons.

With the 170 lbs fighter out of the contest, another established UFC name, Phil Rowe, stepped in to face Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani in a short-notice matchup.

“🚨FIGHT UPDATE🚨 Austin Vanderford is out. Phil Rowe will fight Jean-Paul Lebosnoyani at #UFCHouston on February 21,” Naps Vlog posted on X, via @marceldorff.

Well, fans had definitely labeled the originally scheduled fight as the more intriguing matchup. However, with Rowe being an explosive striker hungry to bounce back, the audience can still expect serious fireworks inside the cage. That said, with so many shakeups unfolding ahead of the event, do you think UFC Houston is still living up to the hype? Let us know in the comments section below.