Here we go again, again.
Former Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Heavyweight title challenger Curtis Blaydes and UFC newbie Rizvan Kuniev were supposed to collide this past weekend (Sat., March 8, 2025) at UFC 313; however, the day of the fight, “Razor” fell ill with norovirus and the fight was scrapped.
Today (Tues., March 11, 2025), VestnikMMA reported that the two Heavyweights will try for a third time at UFC Qatar on May 17, 2025, which is set to go down inside Lusail Sports Arena (they were supposed to fight at UFC Seattle, too).
The promotion has not officially announced UFC Qatar, but it should be in the coming weeks.
Blaydes (18-5) has been out of action since his disappointing quick UFC Heavyweight title loss to Tom Aspinall at UFC 304 in July 2024. He is looking to rebound and start climbing back up the divisional ladder.
“Razor” is 4-2 in this last six fights.
UFC light heavyweight contender Johnny Walker will look to get back on track when he returns to action on May 17.
After having his plans for fight against Bogdan Guskov at UFC 311 this past January scuppered by injury, the Brazilian veteran’s layoff is approaching nine months.
But per MMA Junkie, Walker (21-9, 1 NC) won’t have too much longer to wait, with the 32-year-old set to face the undefeated Azamat Murzakanov (14-0) at the UFC Fight Night event on May 17.
It would seem that Paul Craig’s brief middleweight experiment in the UFC has come to a relatively swift end.
After testing the waters of a cut down to 185 pounds, Craig (17-9-1) looked to re-find winning form in a new division. While his arrival was strong, defeating the once highly touted Andre Muniz by TKO, the Scotsman has since lost three straight.
Following a submission loss to Brendan Allen and knockout at the hands of Caio Borralho, “Bearjew” was most recently outpointed by the undefeated Bo Nickal at UFC 309 last November.
That result has evidently marked Craig’s final straw at middleweight, with the veteran set to return to the division in which he was formerly ranked.
Craig will reportedly share the cage with Rodolfo Bellato (12-2-1) at UFC Vegas 106 on May 17. The news was first reported by @MagicM_MMABets on X and later corroborated by Marcel Dorff.
Edit
A battle of light heavyweight contenders headlines the upcoming UFC Baku fight card on June 21 in Azerbaijan, as No. 4-ranked Jamahal Hill collides with No. 7-ranked Khalil Rountree Jr., a five round showdown that will likely stream on the ESPN+ digital network. The UFC Baku lineup also features the titanic tilt between heavyweight hurters Curtis Blaydes and Rizvan Kuniev, who are like two ships passing in the night.
Hill and Rountree Jr. were previously booked to throw down at UFC Kansas City on April 26 in Missouri; however, Hill suffered an injury and was forced to postpone the bout. That prompted matchmakers to slide the welterweight showdown between Ian Machado Garry and Carlos Prates into the UFC Kansas City headliner, where “The Future” will try to preserve his spot in the crowded 170-pound title chase.
The UFC also announced the promotional return of [Kyoji Horiguchi](Kyoji Horiguchi Fight News - MMA Fighting), who makes his first octagon appearance in almost nine years. The former RIZIN and Bellator champ faces Tagir Ulanbekov.
Additionally, the heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes and Rizvan Kunien is set to take place on the card.
Check out the updated card below.
Jamahal Hill vs. Khalil Rountree
Kyoji Horiguchi vs. Tagir Ulanbekov
Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
Ismail Naurdiev vs. Junyong Park
Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Mohammed Usman
Irina Alekseeva vs. Klaudia Sygula
Melissa Mullins vs. Daria Zhelezniakova
The latest lineup for the card now includes:
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Rizvan Kuniev
- Ismail Naurdiev vs. JunYong Park
- Hamdy Abdelwahab vs. Mohammed Usman
- Irina Alekseeva vs. Klaudia Sygula
