Just 2 days’ notice: Ethyn Ewing wins 2nd MMA fight in 8 days; UFC debut at Madison Square Garden

NEW YORK (AP) – Ethyn Ewing needed only two days’ notice – and short rest – to win his first fight for UFC.

Ewing won his UFC debut – just eight days after his last professional fight – via unanimous decision over Malcolm Wellmaker on an undercard bout Saturday night at UFC 322.

Ewing got the call on Thursday morning after Cody Haddon dropped out of the fight with an injury that he was needed in a pinch. One problem, Ewing missed that call – and many, many more trying to wake the MMA fighter.

He joked he slept through about 40 missed calls before finally getting around to answering the phone – and he answered the bell at the Garden, where former New York Knicks’ great Patrick Ewing’s No. 33 banner hangs in the rafters.

The 27-year-old Ewing won a Nov. 7 fight as part of the A1 Combat 32 promotion and has won nine straight MMA fights overall.

He wouldn’t mind sticking around the big time – and called out White to try and make it happen.

“I have to say, that was an amazing performance,” Ewing said inside the cage. “Mr. White?”

Ewing swept the scorecards 30-27, 29-28, 29-28.

Jack Della Maddalena defends the 170-pound championship in the main event against Islam Makhachev.

Zhang Weil is trying to become a champion in at least two UFC weight classes when she challenges Valentina Shevchenko for the 125-pound belt in a matchup between what is widely considered the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the women’s division. Zhang, a former two-time strawweight champion, vacated her title last month so she could get her shot at Shevchenko.