Former UFC heavyweight title challenger re-signs with the promotion under new contract

One of the UFC’s heavyweight mainstays and a former interim title challenger is set to re-sign with the promotion on an extended deal, but the fans are divided over the move.

In a recent post on X, combat sports journalist James Lynch revealed that Curtis Blaydes is set to re-sign with the world’s premier MMA organization on an eight-fight deal.

According to Lynch, the new contract will begin with a September 12 clash against heavyweight knockout threat Waldo Cortes-Acosta at Noche UFC.

Check out James Lynch’s announcement about Curtis Blaydes below:

The 35-year-old fighter from Naperville, Illinois, has been a fixture in the UFC heavyweight rankings for years. ‘Razor’ has notable wins over the likes of Alexander Volkov, Jailton Almeida, Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and Alistair Overeem, among others.

Blaydes also challenged for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 304, losing to Tom Aspinall. He is 2-3 in his last five fights, most recently suffering a unanimous decision loss to Josh Hokit at UFC 327.

Blaydes is one of the best wrestlers in the 265-pound division and boasts an impressive collegiate record, highlighted by a gold medal-winning performance at the NJCAA Championships as a redshirt sophomore at Harper College.

His upcoming opponent, Cortes-Acosta, currently sits at No.7 in the UFC heavyweight rankings. He is 3-2 in his last five fights, most recently suffering a unanimous decision loss to Volkov at UFC 328. Known for his heavy hands, Cortes-Acosta was riding a three-fight knockout streak before his most recent loss.

When Dana White was impressed by Josh Hokit and Curtis Blaydes’ UFC 327 showings

Curtis Blaydes and Josh Hokit delivered a banger at UFC 327, racking up a combined 351 significant strikes in three rounds. While Blaydes came up short, the bout helped solidify Hokit as a legitimate heavyweight contender.

Despite the loss, Blaydes’ showing may have played a role in his new contract with the UFC. During the post-fight press conference at UFC 327, White praised Hokit while also lauding both fighters for their impressive performances, saying:

“Nothing but respect for both of those men tonight. That fight was unbelievable, and you won’t hear a word out of me about [Hokit] from here on out. He walked the talk. It’s one thing to have a shtick and act, whatever, and it’s another thing to go in a fight against the No.5 guy in the world, who’s a bad dude, and do what he did tonight.”

Edited by Ujwal Jain