Chris Curtis appears to be getting a quick turnaround after his incredible battle with Kelvin Gastelum earlier this month.
Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that a middleweight tilt between Curtis and Nassourdine Imavov is in the works for UFC 289, which takes place June 10 in Vancouver. Verbal agreements are in place for the matchup with contracts expected to be signed soon.
Curtis was on the wrong end of the judges’ scorecards in his UFC 287 battle with Gastelum, which was awarded the event’s Fight of the Night. “The Action Man” is 4-2 during his six-fight octagon tenure, which includes stoppage wins over Phil Hawes, Brendan Allen, and Joaquin Buckley.
Imavov will also look to get back in the win column after dropping a unanimous decision to Sean Strickland at UFC Vegas 67 in January. Prior to that, Imavov had won three straight, which includes finishes of Edmen Shahbazyan and Ian Heinisch.
UFC 289 will be headlined by a trilogy bout for the women’s bantamweight title between Amanda Nunes and Julianna Peña.