Tag: Curtis Blaydes

Curtis Blaydes: Ciryl Gane ‘missed that bus,’ only wants rematch against UFC interim champ Tom Aspinall

Since Ciryl Gane “missed that bus,” Curtis Blaydes has his focus set on running it back with interim champion Tom Aspinall next.

MIAMI – [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] wants nothing to do with former UFC interim heavyweight champ Ciryl Gane, but is all in on the fighter currently holding a piece of the title.

Blaydes returned to the win column by scoring a second-round hammerfist finish of Jailton Almeida at UFC 299 at Kaseya Center, and now has his sights set on a rematch with current interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall.

According to Blaydes, he already tried to make a fight with Gane happen in the past, but it did not come together. So for “Razor,” it’s all about Aspinall right now, and he’s willing to go back to England to make it happen.

“I feel like you guys are trying to edge me towards Gane. That’s not happening,” Blaydes said. “I asked for him already in the past. He missed that bus. So, if it’s not Aspinall, we’ll figure it out. I’m not going to make no concrete decisions right now, because I don’t know what’s going on. … It’s ain’t going to be Gane, though. That’s a no.”

Should Aspinall decide to wait for the winner of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, which is expected to happen at some point later in 2024, Blaydes may have to reevaluate things. Luckily for him, it appears Aspinall is open to running back their first fight, which ended in 15 seconds after the now-interim champion suffered a knee injury.

“Don’t gotta ask me twice. I’m in,” Aspinall wrote on X.

[lawrence-related id=2722817,2722502,2722457]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

5 biggest takeaways from UFC 299: Time for Sean O’Malley to do right by bantamweight division

Analysis of the biggest storylines coming out of UFC 299, including Sean O’Malley, Dustin Poirier, Michael Page and more.

What mattered most at UFC 299 at Kaseya Center in Miami? Here are a few post-fight musings.

* * * *

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] put himself back in the heavyweight contender title mix when he hammerfisted Jailton Almeida’s head into next week for a second-round TKO after get stifled by the Brazilian’s grappling in the first frame.

Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) called for a rematch with interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall after his triumph, and it was pretty well received. Why? Because it makes sense given the messy state of the weight class at the moment.

We know the deal. We’re all waiting for Jon Jones to return from injury to fight Stipe Miocic. Aspinall has been annoyed by the situation, but has seemingly opened up to the idea of defending the interim belt while Jones and Miocic handle their business.

The problem with that, however, is there wasn’t a completely sensible opponent for him to face. Until now. Blaydes hold a 15-second TKO win over Aspinall from July 2022, but it came as the result of an injury when Aspinall blew out his knee just seconds into the UFC Fight Night 208 main event in London.

It’s always seemed logical to run that fight back, and now with Blaydes getting the emphatic win, it’s a good idea. And Aspinall agrees, as he stated on social media after the event (via X):

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag] got the most crucial win of his career when he outworked Song Yadong for a unanimous decision to snap his three-fight losing streak.

The former UFC bantamweight champion Yan (17-5 MMA, 9-4 UFC) needed this one in the worst of ways. Many people, myself included, thought Yan was going to be a long-reigning champion when he won the belt. But it just got weird afterward, starting with becoming the first fighter in UFC history to lose a title by disqualification when he landed an illegal knee on Aljamain Sterling in March 2021.

There’s an argument to be made that Yan should have beaten Sean O’Malley in October 2022. He got thwarted by Merab Dvalishvili – like everyone does – but in this fight against Song he showed he’s still very relevant at 135 pounds.

Yan needs another top-ranked contender next. If he can win that and get some momentum, then look out.

Former Bellator title challenger [autotag]Michael Page[/autotag] delivered in his debut with a unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland, proving many naysayers wrong that his unique style wouldn’t translate to the UFC level.

Holland largely was a willing participant in letting Page (22-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) style on him. That won’t be the case for many other welterweights in the promotion, but at minimum, “MVP” earned the chance to fight them.

At 37, it’s hard to think Page can make a legitimate title run. However, he does have an advantage if Leon Edwards continues to reign in that a fight between them would be huge in the U.K. He’s going to need a couple more wins, though, or some extreme luck to break his way.

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag] showed he’s still an elite lightweight contender when he stifled the rise of Benoit Saint Denis with a classic fight and second-round knockout finish in the co-main event.

Poirier (30-8 MMA, 22-7 UFC) took a huge risk in accepting the matchup with Saint Denis, which is the type of fight many accused him of never being willing to take. It looked like a bad idea to start, but Poirier’s boxing once again came through for him as he survived the storm and put the lights out on Saint Denis.

The result adds to Poirier’s many records, and keeps him in the mix for a 155-pound title shot. At this point, he’s not more deserving than Justin Gaethje if he beats Max Holloway, or the winner of Charles Oliveira vs. Arman Tsarukyan – both of which take place at UFC 300 on April 13. But if some reason things don’t line up right for other contenders, or the timeline somehow shifts in his favor, it’s not impossible he could find himself in another championship opportunity sooner rather than later.

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] got what he wanted for his first title defense in avenging his lone career loss against Marlon Vera by unanimous decision.

All due to respect to “Chito,” but he wasn’t the most deserving title challenger. It’s totally understandable why the fight happened from O’Malley (18-1 MMA, 10-1 UFC), Vera and the UFC’s angle. The storyline of this rematch was juicer than anything else that could be done in the bantamweight division given the result of the first meeting, and it’s impossible to know when it would be at least logical to put it together any other time.

The outcome was a completely uncompetitive fight, though, and now it’s time to get serious.

We should all be happy O’Malley’s callout of featherweight champion Ilia Topuria for UFC’s debut in Spain seemingly fell on deaf ears with UFC CEO Dana White. That means it’s time to give a rightful challenger a shot at the belt, and that would be [autotag]Merab Dvalishvili[/autotag].

With 10 straight wins and a style that’s seemingly a huge nightmare for O’Malley, a showdown with Dvalishvili (17-4 MMA, 10-2 UFC is the most intriguing championship bout that can be made at 135 pounds. There shouldn’t be a slight consideration given to anything else, and if the UFC goes any other direction for O’Malley’s next fight, it would be a massive injustice.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299 Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay: Sean O’Malley’s $42,000 tops card

Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 299 took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $359,000.

MIAMI – Fighters from Saturday’s UFC 299 event took home UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance pay totaling $359,000.

The program, a comprehensive plan that includes outfitting requirements, media obligations and other items under the fighter code of conduct, replaces the previous payments made under the UFC Athlete Outfitting Policy.

UFC 299 took place at Kaseya Center. The main card aired on pay-per-view following prelims on ESPNews and ESPN+.

The full UFC 299 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts included:

* * * *

[autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag]: $42,000
def. [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag]: $32,000

[autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag]: $21,000
def. [autotag]Benoit Saint-Denis[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michael Page[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Kevin Holland[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Jack Della Maddalena[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag]: $21,000;

[autotag]Petr Yan[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Song Yadong[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Maycee Barber[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Katlyn Cerminara[/autotag]: $16,000

[autotag]Mateusz Gamrot[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Rafael dos Anjos[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Kyler Phillips[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Pedro Munhoz[/autotag]: $21,000

[autotag]Ion Cutelaba[/autotag]: $11,000
def. [autotag]Philipe Lins[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Michel Pereira[/autotag]: $6,000
def. [autotag]Michal Oleksiejczuk[/autotag]: $11,000

[autotag]Robelis Despaigne[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]Josh Parisian[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Asu Almabaev[/autotag]: $4,000
def. [autotag]CJ Vergara[/autotag]: $6,000

[autotag]Joanne Wood[/autotag]: $16,000
def. [autotag]Maryna Moroz[/autotag]: $11,000

Under the UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance program’s payout tiers, which appropriate the money generated by Venum’s multi-year sponsorship with the UFC, fighters are paid based on their total number of UFC bouts, as well as Zuffa-era WEC fights (January 2007 and later) and Zuffa-era Strikeforce bouts (April 2011 and later). Fighters with 1-3 bouts receive $4,000 per appearance; 4-5 bouts get $4,500; 6-10 bouts get $6,000; 11-15 bouts earn $11,000; 16-20 bouts pocket $16,000; and 21 bouts and more get $21,000. Additionally, champions earn $42,000 while title challengers get $32,000.

In addition to experience-based pay, UFC fighters will receive in perpetuity royalty payments amounting to 20-30 percent of any UFC merchandise sold that bears their likeness, according to officials.

Full 2024 UFC Promotional Guidelines Compliance payouts:

Year-to-date total: $1,362,000
2023 total: $8,188,000
2022 total: $8,351,500
2021 total: $6,167,500
Program-to-date total: $24,069,000

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299 results: Curtis Blaydes smashes Jailton Almeida with hammerfists, calls for Tom Aspinall rematch

At UFC 299, Curtis Blaydes overcame Jailton Almeida’s grappling game for a TKO, and then called for a rematch vs. interim champ Tom Aspinall.

While [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] was smothered in the first round against Jailton Almeida, he found a path to a very satisfying result early in Round 2 at UFC 299.

In the final preliminary bout at Kaseya Center in Miami, Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) solved the grappling attack of Almeida (20-3 MMA, 6-1 UFC) by raining down hammerfists to score a TKO stoppage at 0:36 of Round 2.

When the fight began, Almeida didn’t waste much time attempting to get Blaydes to the canvas, and was successful with his first takedown. Blaydes quickly got back to his feet, just to get lifted and dumped again. Just when Blaydes would work back to his feet, Almeida continued to drag him back down repeatedly using a variety of techniques, effectively shutting down any offensive output from Blaydes.

The fight quickly changed course early in Round 2.

After an opening exchange of strikes, Almeida shot in for another takedown. Blaydes hit a solid sprawl, and instead of potentially spending another round grappling, he decided to unleash a furious series of hammerfists. Blaydes kept pounding until Almeida released his grip and dropped to the canvas, prompting referee Mike Beltran to stop the fight.

The result marks a return to the win column for Blaydes, following a stoppage loss to Sergei Pavlovich. During his post-fight interview, Blaydes called for a rematch with current interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall. The pair first met in July 2022, but the fight ended in just 15 seconds after Apsinall suffered a freak knee injury.

On the other side, Almeida exits with his first loss under the UFC banner. The Brazilian grappler entered on the heels of a November main event unanimous decision win over former title challenger Derrick Lewis.

[lawrence-related id=2722502,2722848,2693752]

Up-to-the-minute UFC 299 results include:

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Curtis Blaydes def. Jailton Almeida at UFC 299: Best photos

Check out the best photos from Curtis Blaydes’ second-round TKO win over Jailton Almeida at UFC 299.

Check out the best photos from [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag]’ second-round TKO win over [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] at UFC 299 at Kaseya Center in Miami. (Fight and venue photos by Sam Navarro, USA Today Sports)

Curtis Blaydes explains why UFC 299 opponent Jailton Almeida is ‘like a heavyweight version of Demian Maia’

Although the grappling has been dominant, it’s what Jailton Almeida hasn’t shown that sticks out to Curtis Blaydes.

MIAMI – [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] understands the comparisons between him and UFC 299 opponent Jailton Almeida, but he thinks the similarities end outside of the grappling department.

“That’s the beauty of being multifaceted,” Blaydes told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I don’t have one path to victory. I can win on the feet. I can grapple. I’ve always shown I have the power to knock guys out. I’m very confident I will be able to out-show him on the feet.”

Blaydes (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) and Almeida (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) were supposed to compete in November in Brazil. However, Blaydes withdrew due to two ankle injuries. He watched closely on fight night as Almeida dragged replacement Derrick Lewis all over the canvas.

Despite the dominant performance, Blaydes recognizes the things that were not on display. Blaydes said Almeida’s strict focus on grappling reminds him of a former UFC welterweight title challenger.

“He did what I thought he was going to do, take him down,” Blaydes said. “I didn’t think he’d want to hang out on the feet at all. He hasn’t really shown anything with footwork and hands. He’s a traditional jiu-jitsu guy. He’s like a heavyweight version of Demian Maia.”

[lawrence-related id=2721763,2721529]

The perceived flaw in Almeida is not unique to just him, according to Blaydes, who sees the heavyweight division as a whole struggling handily with takedowns.

“It’s a lot of guys,” Blaydes said. “A lot of guys at heavyweight find one skill and they’re like, ‘Oh, that works.’ They don’t grow. They don’t expand on it. Why would they? He had so much success. I don’t think he’s going to come out and, oh, he’s going to want to strike now. Just like you said, the teep into the blast double leg, it works because these other heavyweights have never sprawled in their life. I sprawl all the time. I guess we’ll see.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

UFC 299 pre-event facts: Inside the numbers of stacked Miami lineup

The best facts and figures about UFC 299, which features an absolutely stacked lineup with history on the line for multiple fighters.

The final event in the 200s-era of numbered UFC cards goes down Saturday at UFC 299, and the event from Kaseya Center (pay-per-view, ESPNews, ESPN+) is one of the most stacked in recent memory.

A lineup filled with a plethora of former title challengers, top-ranked contenders and more, is headline by a bantamweight title rematch. Reigning champ [autotag]Sean O’Malley[/autotag] (17-1 MMA, 9-1 UFC) will attempt to make his first defense while simultaneously trying to avenge his only career loss against [autotag]Marlon Vera[/autotag] (21-8-1 MMA, 15-7 UFC), who won the first matchup by first-round TKO at UFC 252 in August 2020.

For more on the numbers behind the headliner, as well as the rest of the card, check below for MMA Junkie’s pre-event facts for UFC 299.

* * * *

Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera

Tom Aspinall down to defend interim UFC title against Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida winner

Tom Aspinall is warm the idea of defending his interim UFC heavyweight title in 2024, and he has a potential opponent in mind.

[autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] is warm the idea of defending his interim UFC heavyweight title in 2024, and he has a potential opponent in mind.

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) is less than two months removed from winning interim gold with a 69-second knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in New York. Despite the achievement, though, Aspinall won’t be next to fight for the undisputed belt.

That distinction will go to Stipe Miocic, who is expected to challenge current titleholder Jon Jones once “Bones” returns from injury. Moreover, it’s unknown if one or both of Jones and Miocic will retire after the fight, leaving some uncertainty around Aspinall’s next move.

Aspinall has expressed frustration as he sits on the sidelines waiting for the situation to play out, but he’s made it clear a long break from competition is not of interest. He wants to fight sooner than later, and he sees the winner of the matchup between [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) and [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] (19-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) at UFC 299 on March 9 in Miami as a fitting foe (via X):

Aspinall, No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings, has a history with No. 7-ranked Blaydes. The pair fought at UFC Fight Night 208 in July 2022, with the main event bout ending in just 15 seconds after Aspinall went down with a knee injury that ultimately required surgery and forced him out of competition for a year.

A rematch would certainly be logical if Blaydes wins, but he’ll have to first get past No. 12-ranked Almeida, who was MMA Junkie’s 2023 Breakout Fighter of the Year after picking up victories over Derrick Lewis, Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Shamil Abdurakhimov.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC fights announced in the past week (Dec. 11-17)

All the UFC fight announcements that were first reported or confirmed by MMA Junkie in the past week.

MMA fight announcements are hard to follow. With so many outlets and channels available, it’s nearly impossible to organize.

But here at MMA Junkie, we’ve got your back.

Each week, we’ll compile all the newly surfaced fights in one spot. Every Monday, expect a feature listing everything you might have missed from the UFC.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Dec. 11-17.

Jailton Almeida vs. Curtis Blaydes rebooked for UFC 299

UFC is revisiting a previosuly-booked matchup that fell through between heavyweight contenders Jailton Almeida and Curtis Blaydes.

The UFC has rebooked a previously scheduled heavyweight main event that fell through.

At UFC Fight Night 231 in November, [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] was set to face [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] in a five-round headliner. Blaydes withdrew due to injury, and Alemida ended up fighting and defeating Derrick Lewis.

The promotion has decided to revisit the matchup, booking Almeida (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) against Blaydes (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) in a three-round bout March 9 at UFC 299. A person with knowledge of the situation confirmed the booking to MMA Junkie following an initial report from MMA Fighting on Tuesday.

The event is expected to take place in Miami, but the promotion has yet to officially confirm the location and venue.

Almeida’s unanimous decision win over Lewis was a dominant outing, but also the first time the undefeated Brazilian heavyweight went the distance in his UFC career. “Malhadinho” entered that contest on the heels of a first-round submission win over Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

Blaydes will be looking to rebound from a first-round TKO loss to Sergei Pavlovich in April. The setback halted a three fight winning streak.

With the addition the UFC 299 lineup includes:

  • Sean O’Malley vs. Marlon Vera – for bantamweight title
  • Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
  • Maycee Barber vs. Katlyn Chookagian
  • Pedro Munhoz vs. Kyler Phillips
  • Asu Almabaev vs. CJ Vergara

[lawrence-related id=2701464,2693560,2659387]

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.