PFL Tampa: Nkosi Ndebele Replaces Oliveira vs. Alves

Marcirley Alves will face short-notice replacement Nkosi Ndebele at PFL Tampa on Aug. 22 after Gustavo Oliveira withdrew from their scheduled bantamweight bout.

Alves, who improved to 15-5 by winning the 2025 PFL bantamweight world tournament, was set to run it back against Oliveira on the Tampa card. Instead he draws Ndebele, who comes in at 13-3. The promotion did not give a reason for Oliveira's withdrawal when it announced the swap two days out from fight week.

The bout stays on the main card at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, which airs live on ESPN starting at 9 p.m. ET on Saturday, Aug. 22. The night is headlined by Cris Cyborg defending her women's featherweight title against Ketlen Vieira in what has been billed as Cyborg's final MMA bout.

What the Ndebele Swap Means for Alves

Losing Oliveira on short notice changes the shape of this fight for Alves even if the stakes on paper look similar. Oliveira was a known, ranked commodity coming off the same tournament run that produced Alves as champion, and a rebooking against him would have functioned almost like a title-picture rematch. Ndebele steps in without that build-up, and short-notice fights this close to the weigh-ins usually favor the fighter who didn't have to change his fight week plan. Alves gets to keep his camp and gameplan largely intact, while Ndebele has to adjust his entire preparation on a compressed timeline.

Betting Angle

Short-notice replacements are almost always live underdogs on paper but tough outs in practice, since desperation and adrenaline can offset a shorter camp. Alves should open as the favorite given his recent tournament title and the fact that he was already gearing up for a ranked opponent in Oliveira, so his sharpness shouldn't be in question. The bigger variable for bettors is conditioning and fight IQ under pressure for Ndebele, who at 13-3 has enough experience to make this competitive but is walking into a tougher stylistic puzzle than originally planned. Bettors should watch line movement closely as fight week progresses, since late-notice bouts like this one tend to see the number shift once each side's camp situation becomes clearer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is fighting Marcirley Alves at PFL Tampa?

Nkosi Ndebele is now fighting Marcirley Alves at PFL Tampa on Aug. 22 after original opponent Gustavo Oliveira withdrew from the bantamweight bout.

Why did Gustavo Oliveira pull out of PFL Tampa?

The Professional Fighters League did not provide a reason for Gustavo Oliveira's withdrawal from his scheduled bantamweight matchup with Marcirley Alves.

What is the main event of PFL Tampa?

PFL Tampa is headlined by Cris Cyborg defending her women's featherweight championship against Ketlen Vieira, airing live on ESPN at 9 p.m. ET on Aug. 22.