Vettori out of April 6 UFC main event; Curtis steps in vs. Allen

Middleweight Chris Curtis has agreed to step up on short notice for a rematch against Brendan Allen in the UFC Fight Night main event on April 6, the promotion announced Friday.

Curtis is replacing Marvin Vettori, who withdrew from the fight against Allen on Thursday after suffering an injury.

The event is scheduled to take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Curtis knocked out Allen in the second round of a December 2021 undercard bout. But since then, Allen has emerged as one of the surging contenders at 185 pounds by winning six in a row. The 28-year-old is coming off a submission of Paul Craig last November.

Curtis is coming off a split-decision win over Marc-Andre Barriault at UFC 297 in January and has had mixed success since the victory over Allen, going 3-2 (1 NC).

Allen is ranked No. 6 in the division, and Curtis is No. 14. Allen will likely open as the betting favorite despite the result of their first fight.

Vettori said a "freak accident" led to his injury in a video posted to Instagram on Thursday.

"I can't go into a fight hurt," Vettori said. "It's the first time that I'm pulling out of any bout."

Vettori was looking to get back on track after suffering a lopsided decision loss to Jared Cannonier in a main event last June.

The April 6 event will lead into UFC 300 - expected to be one of the biggest shows in the promotion's history - at Las Vegas's T-Mobile Arena the following weekend.