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Marc Raimondi, ESPN Staff Writer
A big heavyweight rebooking is coming in the first quarter of next year, as Curtis Blaydes will face Jailton Almeida at UFC 299, sources confirmed with ESPN on Tuesday.
Sources said the bout has been signed, though the UFC has yet to make it official. UFC 299 does not have an official date or location set yet, but it will take place in March.
ESPN has Blaydes ranked No. 5 and Almeida ranked No. 8 in the world at heavyweight. The two were supposed to fight Nov. 4 in the main event of UFC Sao Paulo, but Blaydes withdrew for undisclosed reasons and was replaced by Derrick Lewis.
Blaydes (17-4, 1 NC) is coming off a knockout loss to Sergei Pavlovich in April. The Chicago-area native was on a three-fight winning streak prior to that bout. Blaydes, 32, has lost only to power punchers Pavlovich, Francis Ngannou and Lewis in his seven-year UFC career.
Almeida (20-2) has won 15 in a row, including his first six in the UFC. The Brazil native is coming off a unanimous decision win over Lewis last month. The 32-year-old had never gone to a decision before in his 11-year career.
UFC 299 will be headlined by a bantamweight championship fight between champion Sean O’Malley and challenger Marlon “Chito” Vera.
Also on the card, former lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos will take on Mateusz Gamrot, the promotion announced Tuesday.
MMA Fighting first reported the news.