With Chris Curtis and Albert Duraev out, Dricus Du Plessis now faces Anthony Hernandez at UFC 273

Dricus Du Plessis has a new opponent for UFC 273.

Multiple people with knowledge of the promotion’s plans confirmed to MMA Fighting that a wrist injury has forced Chris Curtis out of the UFC’s April pay-per-view event, and Du Plessis will now face Anthony Hernandez. The card takes place April 9 at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Fla.

Hernandez was originally slated to face Albert Duraev at the event. Per sources, Duraev has been scratched from the card with a rib injury. “Fluffy” makes his first appearance since picking up a memorable submission win over Rodolfo Vieira at UFC 258 in December 2019.

Du Plessis has won four straight, and 12 of 13 overall. The former KSW welterweight champion has kicked off his UFC tenure with back-to-back finishes of Markus Perez and Trevin Giles at UFC 264.

UFC 273 currently has 14 bouts on the slate, with a featherweight title fight between Alexander Volkanovski and “The Korean Zombie” Chan Sung Jung in the main event. Aljamain Sterling takes on Petr Yan in a rematch for the bantamweight championship in the co-main event.