UFC Columbus Gains Curtis Blaydes vs. Chris Daukaus Headliner on March 26

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Ohio-based Ultimate Fighting Championship fans will not have to wait any longer to learn the headliner on the Columbus card.

On Thursday night, Ariel Helwani broke the news that UFC Columbus, also known as UFC on ESPN 33, will now draw heavyweights in the main attraction. Curtis Blaydes (15-3, 1 NC) will take on Chris Daukaus (12-4) in a matchup between top-10 fighters in the division on March 26. The big men will throw down inside the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. Blaydes was quick to confirm the booking on his Instagram shortly after its announcement.

At the beginning of 2021, Blaydes had a four-fight win streak cut short by a Derrick Lewis uppercut atop UFC Fight Night 185. Since then, “Razor” Blaydes rebounded with a clear-cut decision win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik. As a pro, the Elevation Fight Team product has prevailed by knockout in 67% of his wins. This includes stoppages of Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos and Alexey Oleynik over his career.

In his last time out, for the first headlining match of his UFC tenure, Daukaus fell victim to a Lewis knockout as well. The defeat put an end to a five-fight knockout streak, which included four wins in the Octagon and none needing to go longer than the 6:23 mark. Not one to be outdone by his opponent, the Philadelphia native posts a 92% knockout rate, and he has not gone the distance since 2016, a span of 11 fights.

UFC on ESPN 33 takes place at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on March 26. In addition to the newly minted heavyweight headliner, a litany of other matches – 15 now in total – will go on, including a pair of pivotal women’s bouts when Michelle Waterson takes on Amanda Ribas at strawweight and Sara McMann meets Karol Rosa in the bantamweight division. Finally, fan-favorite Matt Brown will receive a homecoming to his home state when he takes on Bryan Barberena at 170 pounds.