UFC have revealed that middleweight fighter Chris Curtis is set to make a swift return to the octagon after his recent impressive performance against Kelvin Gastelum. The highly anticipated matchup between Curtis and Nassourdine Imavov is expected to take place at UFC 289 on June 10th in Vancouver. Although contracts have not yet been signed, both fighters have reportedly given their verbal agreement for the bout.

Curtis fell short against Gastelum, losing out to the judges’ scorecards in what was a thrilling fight at UFC 287. However, despite the loss, he still managed to claim the Fight of the Night bonus, which speaks volumes about his skill and potential. Over the course of his six-fight UFC career, Curtis has a record of four wins and two losses, with notable victories over Phil Hawes, Brendan Allen and Joaquin Buckley.

Meanwhile, Imavov will also be looking to bounce back from a recent loss, having suffered a unanimous decision defeat to Sean Strickland in January at UFC Vegas 67. Prior to this, he had won three consecutive fights, including impressive finishes over Edmen Shahbazyan and Ian Heinisch.

The Nunes vs Peña trilogy bout for the women’s bantamweight title will serve as the headline fight of UFC 289, with the Curtis vs Imavov matchup likely to be a crowd-pleaser, given the fighting styles of both contenders.