Chris Curtis will look to derail the hype of another highly touted prospect.
Curtis (28-8 MMA, 2-0 UFC) meets Dricus Du Plessis (16-2 MMA, 2-0 UFC) April 9 at UFC 273, which doesn’t yet have an announced venue or location.
A person with knowledge of the booking verified the news to MMA Junkie after an initial report by MMA Fighting but asked to remain anonymous because the promotion has yet to make a formal announcement.
Curtis, MMA Junkie’s 2021 “Comeback Fighter of the Year,” came up big as an underdog in his first two octagon bouts. After coming from behind to knock Phil Hawes out in the first round at UFC 268, Curtis scored another upset win when he finished Brendan Allen at UFC on ESPN 31 in December.
South Africa’s Du Plessis has also kicked off his octagon tenure with two finishes. The 28-year-old, who has scored stoppage victories in all 16 of his pro wins, knocked out Markus Perez in his promotional debut, followed by a second-round “Performance of the Night” KO of Trevin Giles at UFC 264 in July.
With the addition, the UFC 273 lineup includes:
- Alexander Volkanovski vs. Chan Sung Jung – for featherweight title
- Aljamain Sterling vs. Petr Yan – for bantamweight title
- Irene Aldana vs. Aspen Ladd
- Pat Sabatini vs. Gavin Tucker
- Mickey Gall vs. Mike Malott
- Mackenzie Dern vs. Tecia Torres
- Kelvin Gastelum vs. Nassourdine Imavov
- Jairzinho Rozenstruik vs. Marcin Tybura
- Julio Arce vs. Daniel Santos
- Mark Madsen vs. Vinc Pichel
- Chris Curtis vs. Dricus Du Plessis
