Curtis Blaydes to face UFC rookie Rizvan Kuniev in Seattle

Curtis Blaydes, aiming to bounce back from a loss in a bout for the UFC's interim heavyweight championship, will return to action against a UFC rookie.

Rizvan Kuniev, who competed in Dana White's Contender Series, will oppose Blaydes on 22 February in Seattle, MMAFighting.com and MMAJunkie reported on Friday.

Blaydes, a 33-year-old Illinois native, owns an 18-5 MMA record with one no-contest. He competed in the co-main event of UFC 304 in July but was knocked out by Tom Aspinall in the first round.

Blaydes had won four of his previous five fights before that setback.

Kuniev, a 32-year-old Russian, owns a 12-2-1 MMA mark with one no-contest. Most recently, he beat Hugo Cunha via technical knockout in the first round on August 20 as part of the Contender Series.

The UFC 310 card was scheduled to feature Kuniev opposing Martin Buday, but the match didn't occur because Buday was injured.

The UFC has one card remaining on its schedule in 2024, with welterweights Colby Covington and Joaquin Buckley clashing in the main event on Saturday in Tampa.