UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes and newcomer Rizvan Kuniev will hope it's second time lucky later this year when it comes to their matchup reaching the Octagon.
The mixed martial arts leader staged its third numbered card of 2025 this past weekend, with UFC 313 going down from inside Las Vegas’ T-Mobile Arena. Fight week went smoothly and saw all 24 athletes make weight, but fight day saw the card take some hits.
After John Castañeda was confirmed to be out of his early preliminary contest with Chris Gutierrez, illness struck a more notable pairing. Former interim heavyweight title challenger Curtis Blaydes pulled out of the UFC 313 featured prelim, which was set to see him welcome newcomer Rizvan Kuniev to the Octagon.
In a post on his Facebook page, “Razor” revealed the reason behind his late decision not to compete.
“Last night I got sick with norovirus,” Blaydes wrote. “Worked through the night to try and recover but my body wouldn’t cooperate. Fight going to be booked for a later date. Apologize to fans and my opponent be we will have this fight very soon.”
Fortunately for both men, it hasn't taken long for the UFC to reschedule the clash for down the line.
Per Vestnik MMA, Blaydes will now face the Dagestani debutant at the promotion's first event in Qatar on May 17. The report was later corroborated by Eurosport Nederland's Marcel Dorff.
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Curtis Blaydes hasn’t competed since a first-round knockout loss to Tom Aspinall in what marked his first title fight on MMA’s biggest stage last July.
Rizvan Kuniev, meanwhile, last fought in August 2024 when he earned a contract on Dana White's Contender Series.