It is impossible to deny that Curtis Blaydes is one of the best heavyweights in the world. Because of this, he says he has no interest in fights between YouTubers and former fighters, like Jake Paul vs Tyron Woodley.
Blaydes may have been a supporter of Woodley heading into his fight with Paul, simply because they both share backgrounds in the UFC. However in the end, T-Wood would drop a split decision to the former Disney actor, in large part due to his inactivity.
Speaking with MiddleEasy, Curtis explained that while he did not watch the fight, he did catch the highlights. This was enough for him to realize that Tyron did not throw enough to get it done on the judge’s scorecards.
“Tyron Woodley was aggressive, but not as aggressive as I would’ve liked against a YouTuber,” Blaydes said. “It seemed like he was content just to pressure, but not to actually throw strikes, which sounds like Woodley in MMA, but you would think against a YouTuber, he would be more aggressive…
“I just watched the highlights. I am not watching that. That is not high level combat sports, and I am not watching that. This is like, in the sports spectrum, I’m over here with… real respectable sports affiliates. Then there’s this other end of the spectrum with like bare-knuckle boxing and this YouTuber versus former athletes, and all that nonsense. I’m not on that end of the spectrum. I’m way over here, so I don’t even pay attention to what happens over there.”
Be Careful With Lead Leg Side Kicks
A subject of controversy in the world of MMA at the moment, is whether or not lead leg side kicks to the knee should be allowed, especially after the outcome of Rountree vs Bukauskas. While Curtis Blaydes does not think Rountree was dirty for what he did, he thinks the rules should change.
Curtis says that this type of kick can cause long lasting damage to an opponent, and that as a fellow competitor, no one should want that to happen. So while he says it is not a dirty move, he warns people to be careful with how they use it.
“I know it’s a legal move, it’s not a dirty move, I’m not saying Khalil is a dirty fighter. He’s not the only one using it either, he just had the most serious effect when using it. It’s not a move I would use, it’s not a technique I would even drill, because how are you supposed to master a technique if you don’t use it in sparring, but that’s not a move I’d want to risk using in sparring, because I don’t want to injure one of my partners,” Blaydes said.
“I don’t blame anyone for using that move, but I’m just not going to use it… I want to win, but do I want to win bad enough to potentially destroy a contemporary’s potential. I don’t want to do that, I don’t want that on my conscience, and I would hope that my opponent would have enough respect, because I don’t want that. I don’t want my knee going out the back, being blown out. I don’t want that. So the way I feel about it is, if you want to use it, be careful.”
Curtis Blaydes Wants To Dance On Jairzinho Rozenstruik
As for his own career, Curtis Blaydes is looking to return to action and get back in the win column against Jairzinho Rozenstruik. He has signed a new four-fight deal with the promotion, and is hoping to start on the right track after a knockout loss to Derrick Lewis.
Curtis believes that he had the right gameplan to beat Lewis, but got caught with a big punch. So when it comes to fighting Rozenstruik he plans to do basically the same thing, and get the win.
“I envision (the fight) almost like the last one, except without me getting KOd. I feel like I move better than he does, I’m more dynamic, I’m more explosive,” Blaydes said.
“I feel like my footwork is going to be the key to my victory. I’m going to use my footwork to dance on him, to make him miss, to make him tired, and then eventually when his hips are open, find the takedown and ground and pound.”
Curtis Blaydes is set to return to action against Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 266, on September 25th. It is going to be interesting to see if he can get back in the win column against another tough opponent.
