Curtis Blaydes is not walking into Noche UFC 4 in Glendale pretending heavyweight fighting is some clean little confidence exercise. Blaydes got honest during a long podcast sitdown with Trevor Wittman and Luke Caudillo, admitting he still fights the voice in his head before his scheduled Sept. 12 matchup with Waldo Cortes-Acosta.
The UFC heavyweight division gives contenders little room for doubt because one mistake can end a fight. Blaydes has spent a decade facing elite heavyweights, yet he said the mental side can still affect how he sees himself.
“I have major impostor syndrome. This is something I talk about with Vinnie. He has to remind me, like, ‘Bro, you’ve been in the UFC for 10 years. That’s not easy.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, s***. I guess not.'”
Wittman did not baby him. The championship coach, who has worked with names like Justin Gaethje and Kamaru Usman, pushed Blaydes to remember what he brings to the cage. He talked up Blaydes’ size, power, wrestling, and finishing ability, then gave him the kind of corner-room speech that sounds gentle for about three seconds before it turns into a shove.
Watch the full conversation below:
Trevor Wittman Pushes Curtis Blaydes To Stop Shrinking Himself
Wittman argued that Blaydes’ wrestling, size, power, and finishing ability give him the tools for a stronger final stage of his career.
“You are gifted from a size standpoint, from a power standpoint, from the arsenal that’s in your whole entourage. You have how many knockouts in 19 wins? Sixteen out of 19 wins are knockouts—not even one submission—but your wrestling sets that up. Go out there and be the f***ing silverback that you are. I really do feel you will be in the Hall of Fame by making that happen. Don’t look at one fight, because you’re bigger. You’re better than that. That would be my advice to you.”
The discussion also circled back to Blaydes’ recent heavyweight setback and the pressure to rebound fast. MiddleEasy readers have already watched the division get weird in 2026, from Josh Hokit smashing through Derrick Lewis to the constant churn around the title picture. Blaydes is still ranked, still dangerous, and still one of the more proven wrestlers in a division that often acts allergic to basic defensive grappling.
Wittman’s closing advice was to stop measuring Blaydes’ future by one result and create a stronger final chapter himself.
“Make something more special, is what I would say. Is it going to be in there? My hard critique on you: who f***ing cares? Go make something special.”
Blaydes then confirmed the event details and discussed the stage of his UFC career.
“September 12th, Glendale, Arizona. UFC. This would be [UFC fight] 22. I just signed a new eight-fight deal, so I’m pretty sure this will be my last contract.”
Cortes-Acosta brings the usual heavyweight threat: one clean connection can disrupt the entire tactical plan. Blaydes has the wrestling and experience to make this more than a comeback booking.
If Blaydes gets through Cortes-Acosta, the heavyweight mess gets interesting again. The division already has plenty of noise around Tom Aspinall and the UFC title picture, and a vintage Blaydes performance would shove another familiar name back into the conversation. First, he has to beat the doubt before he can beat the guy across from him.
