Curtis Blaydes confirms he will not compete in the UFC for the rest of 2025

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes has said that he will not compete inside the Octagon for the remainder of the year.

Curtis Blaydes is an interesting case study in the UFC’s heavyweight division. For many years now, he’s seemed like the kind of fighter who is capable of making a push to challenge for the world title. However, whenever he’s gotten even remotely close to doing so, he’s lost his next big fight. Alas, even with that being the case, many of his fans still hold out hope that he can overcome these setbacks and challenge for the gold one day.

RELATED: Curtis Blaydes doesn’t believe Jon Jones vs Tom Aspinall will happen

In his most recent outing, Blaydes was able to outlast and defeat Rizvan Kuniev via split decision in a contest that was closer than a lot of people thought it was going to be. The hope was that we’d see Curtis compete at least one more time before the end of the year, but we now know that isn’t going to happen.

That’s because Blaydes himself recently confirmed that he’ll be out of action due to an injury, and that he plans to return early in the new year.

Blaydes discusses immediate UFC future

“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.”

“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.”

Quotes via MMA Junkie

What should be next for Blaydes in the UFC? Let us know, BJPENN Nation!