Fourth Noche UFC event is near having first fight confirmed featuring ex-title challenger

The primary fight on this 12 months’s Noche UFC card is near being finalized.

MMA’s leading promotion has staged a celebration of Mexican Independence Day for the past three years, including a first-of-its-kind event on the Sphere in Las Vegas.

That may remain a part of the UFC‘s annual calendar in 2026, with the promotion celebrating the occasion on September 19 at a yet-to-be-determined location.

And just over two months out, the primary fight expected to be on the lineup has emerged.

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Curtis Blaydes’ return after losing to Josh Hokit is within the works for Noche UFC 4

Some big names have featured at Noche UFC events to this point. After the primary edition was headlined by a draw between Alexa Grasso and Valentina Shevchenko, Merab Dvalishvili dethroned Sean O’Malley on the Sphere in 2024.

Essentially the most recent Noche UFC concluded with Brazilian-born Mexico representative Diego Lopes knocking out Jean Silva.

It stays to be seen which two fighters will headline this coming September, but a pair of heavyweights look set to compete on the undercard.

Per a recent report from MMA Fighting, Curtis Blaydes is in talks to make his return against Waldo Cortes-Acosta.

The previous interim title challenger placed on a heavyweight classic in a losing effort this past April. Blaydes was beaten by Josh Hokit at UFC 327 but boosted his stock in defeat.

In his try to bounce back, the No. 8-ranked American looks to have been rewarded with a fight up the ladder.

Cortes-Acosta is the present No. 6 contender in the burden class, one spot below Hokit. ‘Salsa Boy’ can also be coming off a setback, having been outpointed by Alexander Volkov at UFC 328 in May.

Before that lead to Newark, Cortes-Acosta knocked out Derrick Lewis on the very first event on Paramount+ to make it three knockout wins in a row.

He’ll now look to return to that violent winning form on the expense of Blaydes, who was stopped in a single round by champion Tom Aspinall in his one UFC title shot to this point.

Between his defeats to Aspinall and Hokit, Blaydes narrowly got the higher of Rizvan Kuniev in Baku, Azerbaijan, last summer.