Chris Curtis steps in for Roman Dolidze to fight Brendan Allen at UFC Vegas 44

“The Action Man” isn’t wasting any time now that he’s finally on the UFC roster.

MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Damon Martin confirmed with sources with knowledge of the new matchup that Chris Curtis (27-8) is stepping in on short notice to replace Roman Dolidze in a middleweight bout against Brendan Allen (17-4) at UFC Vegas 44 on Dec. 4.

The change was first reported by MMA DNA.

Curtis made a successful UFC debut this past November at UFC 268 with a first-round knockout of Phil Hawes. The win was the culmination of a long and winding road to the octagon for the 12-year veteran that included multiple near-misses and retirements. It was the sixth straight win for Curtis, who also recently competed for the PFL in their welterweight division.

This is the third opponent that has been scheduled for Allen for Dec. 4. Originally, Allen was to face veteran Brad Tavares, but Tavares withdrew and was replaced by Dolidze, who has now also withdrawn (both fighters are out for undisclosed reasons). Allen is 2-0 in 2021 so far, having scored wins over Punahele Soriano and Karl Roberson to bounce back from a loss to Sean Strickland last November.