Report: Blaydes-Almeida rescheduled for UFC 299 on March 9

Heavyweight contenders Curtis Blaydes and Jailton Almeida will square off in a three-round fight at UFC 299 on March 9, sources told MMA Fighting's Guilherme Cruz and Damon Martin.

The bout was initially scheduled to headline UFC Sao Paulo in November as a five-rounder, but Blaydes withdrew after injuring both of his ankles.

Almeida remained on the card and went on to defeat Derrick Lewis via five-round unanimous decision.

The surging Brazilian is one of the most promising heavyweights and top grapplers in the UFC. Almeida is 5-0 in the promotion with four finishes, three of which came in the first round.

Longtime contender Blaydes is looking to bounce back after suffering a knockout loss to Sergei Pavlovich in a UFC Fight Night main event in April. "Razor" won three straight before that defeat, including a 15-second injury TKO of current interim champion Tom Aspinall.

UFC 299 will be headlined by a bantamweight title rematch between champ Sean O'Malley and Marlon "Chito" Vera. No location has been announced.