Curtis Blaydes is in talks to return at Noche UFC 4 on September 19 against No. 6-ranked heavyweight Waldo Cortes-Acosta, per a report from MMA Fighting, giving the former interim title challenger a bounce-back opportunity following his defeat to Josh Hokit.
Blaydes lost to Hokit at UFC 327 in April in a Fight of the Year contender despite ultimately falling short. The loss dropped him to No. 8 in the heavyweight rankings, but his performance in defeat kept him relevant in the division. A win over Cortes-Acosta, who is ranked two spots above him, would push Blaydes back toward title contention.
Noche UFC 4 will take place September 19 at a venue yet to be announced, celebrating Mexican Independence Day as the UFC has done annually for the past three years. The most recent edition concluded with Diego Lopes knocking out Jean Silva.
Previous Noche UFC events were headlined by Alexa Grasso vs. Valentina Shevchenko and the Merab Dvalishvili vs. Sean O’Malley title fight at the Sphere in Las Vegas. The headliner for the 2026 edition has not yet been confirmed.
