UFC 304’s Curtis Blaydes Confident He Would ‘F*ck Up’ Alex Pereira in Potential Fight: ‘I Can Take Him Down at Will’

'Razor' thinks it's a bad idea for 'Poatan' to try his luck at heavyweight.

Curtis Blaydes Would Fck Up Alex Pereira
Courtesy of @UFCNews on X

Curtis Blaydes isn’t sure Alex Pereira can hang with the big boys. 

After ‘Poatan’ turned Jamahal Hill into a meme at UFC 300, rumors ran rampant that the reigning light heavyweight champion could make the move up to heavyweight in a bid to become the promotion’s first-ever three-division champion. Of course, that never happened with Dana White largely dismissive of the idea.

But after scoring an insane second-round KO of Jiri Prochazka two months later, even the UFC CEO is wondering just how far the ‘Brazilian Boogeyman’ can go. 

Jon Jones and Tom Aspinall have been more than welcoming of the possibility, but not everyone in the heavyweight division is convinced that Alex Pereira can survive in the land of giants. 

“Bad idea,” Blaydes told reporters at UFC 304 media day when asked about a potential clash with Pereira at heavyweight. “Him, I’ll give you my premeditated plan: I’m going to shoot. Immediately. Why would I give him any chance to knock me out on the feet when I know I can take him down at will? I’m sure he has to know that. I think he’s looking for a specific heavyweight, not any heavyweight.

“He has matchups against—I can see him beating guys like Tai. We watched him sparring Tai Tuivasa. Maybe some other guys in the bottom of the top 15. But you give him a top-five guy with some real weight, he’s not winning.”

https://x.com/MMAFighting/status/1816154001198702954

Having earned wins over some of the heaviest hitters in heavyweight history, Curtis Blaydes is more than confident in his ability to eat anything Pereira could possibly throw at him. 

“I’m going to eat that knee,” Blaydes said when asked about Pereira’s flying knees. “I ate one from Alistair [Overeem]. You think he throws harder knees than Alistair? I know he’s got the aura going on right now, but I ate a knee from 265-pound Alistair. I’m good with eating knees.

“Yes [I would welcome a fight]. Yes. I know that’s what everyone wants. I would f*ck up Alex Pereira. It’s not because he’s not good. I’m heavier than he is. A heavyweight, gravity, weight matters. It’s not a skill basis. It’s just how it is.”

Curtis Blaydes Would Be a Stylistic Nightmare for Alex Pereira

Blaydes would undoubtedly be a stylistic nightmare for a natural striker like Pereira. During his eight-year run inside the Octagon, the fourth-ranked heavyweight contender holds records for the most takedowns, most control time, and most top position time in the division. But don’t be fooled—Blaydes is far from the lay-and-pray type of fighter. 

He is also a four-time performance bonus winner via highlight-reel knockouts of Cody East, Alistair Overeem, Chris Daukaus, and Jailton Almeida.

But for now, ‘Razor’ will focus on the task at hand—an interim heavyweight title clash with Tom Aspinall. The two titans will co-headline UFC 304 this Saturday night in Manchester as Aspinall becomes the first fighter in more than a decade to defend an interim belt. 

Watch Blaydes’ full media day appearance below:

Published on July 25, 2024 at 12:30 pm
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