Ricky Turcios is reportedly moving up to the featherweight division after his UFC 324 fight was canceled. According to the report, he is now slated to face Alberto Montes at UFC 326 on March 7 in Las Vegas. The matchup was described as confirmed to MMA Junkie by people familiar with the situation, although the UFC had not yet made an official announcement. This matters because it signals Turcios’ next booking and a notable change in weight class.
Ricky Turcios is moving up to featherweight and has been booked to face Alberto Montes at UFC 326 on March 7 in Las Vegas, according to people familiar with the situation who confirmed the matchup to MMA Junkie. The bout was not yet officially announced by the UFC at the time of the report.
Turcios, 33, enters the featherweight division with a professional record of 13-6 and has spent his UFC career competing at bantamweight. The American fighter, who trains out of Team Alpha Male, stands five-foot-nine with a 71-inch reach and fights out of an orthodox stance. He brings a busy offensive game to the cage, averaging 4.73 significant strikes per minute, though his striking accuracy sits at 40 percent. His grappling output is measured, with fewer than one takedown per 15 minutes and 0.4 submission attempts in the same window.
The move follows the cancellation of a scheduled fight at UFC 324, making the Montes matchup Turcios' next confirmed appearance inside the octagon.
Why it matters
- Turcios is making a notable jump in weight class, stepping up from bantamweight to featherweight for what appears to be the first time in his UFC run.
- The UFC 326 card on March 7 in Las Vegas gains a matchup with divisional-shift intrigue, as Turcios looks to establish himself in a new weight class.
- No ranking or championship context is available for either fighter, so the bout reads as a proving ground for Turcios at 145 pounds rather than an immediate title-picture clash.
