UFC fans have seen the last of Curtis Blaydes in the octagon this year.
Blaydes’ most recent appearance came on June 21, when he beat Rizvan Kuniev by split decision at UFC on ABC 8 in Baku, Azerbaijan. It turns out that will be his only fight of 2025 as the perennial heavyweight contender said he is set to undergo surgery Monday.
“I’m going to be out the rest of the year,” Blaydes said during a fan Q&A before UFC 319 in Chicago. “I injured my meniscus in my last fight. I probably won’t be back until January. … I’ll be out for eight weeks, but I’m hoping to be back by January.”
Blaydes, 34, is 2-2 in past four UFC appearances, with wins over Kuniev and Jailton Almeida, and losses to Sergei Pavlovich and reigning UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall in an interim title fight.
By the time Blaydes returns, Aspinall and Ciryl Gane will have settled business in their UFC 320 title fight – barring unforeseen circumstances. It’ll be Aspinall’s first attempt at defending the undisputed heavyweight title, a status he attained after Jon Jones retired and relinquished the belt.
While Jones recently re-entered the UFC’s drug-testing pool in hopes of competing at the planned UFC White House event next July, Blaydes is happy about his absence and what it means for the foreseeable future.
“I’m happy that the heavyweight division is starting to move along. We don’t got to worry about Jon Jones no more,” Blaydes said. “I think Aspinall beats Gane.”
