Curtis
Blaydes has certainly experienced his setbacks in UFC
competition – KO losses to Francis
Ngannou and Derrick
Lewis immediately come to mind – but he’s also gradually built
a resume that ranks among the best in the heavyweight division
during his promotional tenure.
He added to his list of achievements with a second-round technical
knockout victory against Chris
Daukaus in the UFC on ESPN 33 main event on Saturday, a victory
that stood out because the Octagon’s all-time heavyweight takedown
leader relied on his striking, not his wrestling, to get the job
done at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio. After winning for
the sixth time in his last seven UFC appearances, Blaydes called
for an interim heavyweight title shot.
He reiterated that desire at Saturday’s post-fight press
conference.
“I feel that way but that does not mean the world feels that way,”
Blaydes said. “That’s really what matters. What do the fans want to
see? I do believe I deserve an interim title shot. I do believe I
have the resume and I have the skill sets but we’ll see.”
With Francis
Ngannou likely to be sidelined for most, if not all, of 2022 as
he recovers from knee surgery, UFC president Dana White has
acknowledged that another interim champion could be crowned.
Whether it’s for a belt or not, Blaydes believes a win against the
likes of Ciryl Gane
or Stipe
Miocic would help solidify his status near the top of the
division.
“A win over Gane, who was on a hot streak, who was just in a title
fight, a win over him should put me as the next title contender –
the same thing with Stipe,” Blaydes said. “He’s [Miocic] the
G.O.A.T., in my opinion. He’s the G.O.A.T. of this heavyweight
division. He honestly deserved a rematch a while ago. But if he’s
willing to risk it against me, and I beat him, that’s the same
thing. A title shot for me would be the same thing after beating
Gane or Stipe.”
Miocic, an Ohio-based firefighter who was in the audience on
Saturday, has not competed since relinquishing the heavyweight
crown to Ngannou in a second-round KO loss at UFC 260 in March
2021. During his media session, Blaydes briefly described a
sparring experience with the ex-champ that occurred a decade ago.
He admitted he didn’t fare too well against Miocic, but he is
confident that he has improved enough over the years to matchup up
nicely against his former sparring partner.
“We worked out together, years ago when I was not very good,”
Blaydes said. “He destroyed me every sparring. I don’t have no
awesome sparring stories. He was levels and levels above me. I
helped him get ready for [Gabriel] Gonzaga. That was back in 2012.
I had just begun my amateur career in that year.
“I respect him, but I believe I’m on his level. I believe I can
take him down. I know I can take him down because I did take him
down. But I also believe, if we get in a striking battle, I can
strike with him. I’ve got the footwork. I’ve got the acumen. I
believe in my coaches. I know I can hang with anybody on the
feet.”
At the moment, there is no clear direction for the UFC’s
heavyweight division with Ngannou on the shelf. Blaydes will play
the waiting game if it means getting the right opponent down the
road. Blaydes is relatively young for a heavyweight, a division
where fighters sometimes peak as they near 40.
“I’m not in a rush,” Blaydes said. “I’m not broke and I want what I
want. I don’t want to fight guys just to fight guys. I’m trying to
get to the belt so whoever that is, whatever route I have to take
to get there the fastest, is the route I want. I have a
pre-determined route. Whoever I believe is going to me there the
fastest and right now I believe it would be Gane but it might be
Stipe. If it’s Stipe, I’ll take Stipe.
“I have no doubts in my mind [I’ll be champion]. That’s why I’ve
never been in a rush. I knew I’d get there. I’m only 31. I’m going
to be here. I’ve got eight more years. I’m going to be here. That
belt is going to be mine.”