Cesar Almeida’s reported UFC 334 entry wipes out the clearest Johnson-Susurkaev betting reads

Donte Johnson spent the UFC 334 build attached to an unbeaten opponent whose dimensions and pace created a clear set of matchup questions. That analysis is now obsolete unless the promotion reverses course.

MMA Fighting reported that Baisangur Susurkaev is out of the Nov. 14 event at Madison Square Garden and that Cesar Almeida has agreed to replace him, though bout contracts have not been officially signed and no reason was given for Susurkaev’s withdrawal. The outlet listed Almeida at 7-3 and described him as an experienced kickboxer coming off consecutive UFC losses, including a knockout defeat to Damian Pinas.

PropBetEdge’s card record still shows Johnson-Susurkaev as an announced three-round middleweight preliminary bout, with Susurkaev present on the official card and no withdrawal receipt stored. That conflict matters. The outside report supplies the current news, but the unsigned contracts and lagging official-card record mean Johnson-Almeida should still be treated as proposed rather than settled.

The original matchup had measurable pressure points

Susurkaev was not merely another undefeated prospect. His profile would have forced Johnson to solve a specific combination of length, output and layered offense.

At 6-foot-2 with a 79-inch reach, Susurkaev held six inches of height and five inches of reach over the 5-foot-8, 74-inch-reach Johnson. He also landed 5.74 significant strikes per minute to Johnson’s 3.36, a gap of 2.38 per minute. Across three bouts with round-level data, Susurkaev landed 196 significant strikes over eight rounds. Johnson landed 66 over six rounds in his corresponding sample.

Those figures did not automatically make Susurkaev the better striker. Johnson absorbs only 2.11 significant strikes per minute and owns 61 percent striking defense, compared with Susurkaev’s 4.45 absorbed and 58 percent defense. But the original fight would have asked Johnson to cross a major length disadvantage while handling a much busier opponent. That mechanism was directly relevant to significant-strike props and any wager tied to sustained round winning.