Tag: Curtis Blaydes

Curtis Blaydes expected Tom Aspinall to beat Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 – but not like that

Curtis Blaydes thinks Sergei Pavlovich gave Tom Aspinall too much space to work at UFC 295.

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] thinks [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] gave [autotag]Tom Aspinall[/autotag] too much space to work.

Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) knocked out Pavlovich (18-2 MMA, 6-2 UFC) in 69 seconds to claim the interim heavyweight title at UFC 295.

Aspinall’s lone octagon loss came to Blaydes by TKO in July 2022, when his knee blew out just 15 seconds into the fight. Having fought both Aspinall and Pavlovich before, Blaydes (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) picked Aspinall to win, but was surprised at the quick blitz through knockout artist Pavlovich.

“Going in, I did have Aspinall winning, but I didn’t think it would happen in the fashion that it did happen,” Blaydes told Middle Easy. “I thought he would out-technique him and just be a smarter fighter. I expected Sergei to be a lot more aggressive. That was one of the biggest things. He allowed Aspinall to get bouncing, get moving, and gave him space.

“That’s one of the differences between fighting at the Apex and using a standard octagon – a lot more space, a lot harder to be aggressive when there are angles you can take. I think that was the beginning of the end when he allowed Aspinall the freedom of movement.”

Many are touting Aspinall to potentially be the one to beat UFC heavyweight champion Jon Jones, and Blaydes doesn’t rule out that possibility. He thinks anyone can win a fight at heavyweight.

“It’s heavyweight,” Blaydes said. “Anybody can beat anybody. Sergei can beat Jon. I can beat Jon. It’s whoever gets hit in the face first. That’s really all it is. Regardless of the skill, and technique, and experience, and all that, heavyweight there is one equalizer; power. Power beats skill. Power beats speed. Power at heavyweight is everything and every heavyweight has power. It’s a prerequisite.”

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 295.

Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (Oct. 9-15)

All the UFC and Bellator 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 or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by the promotions from Oct. 9-15.

Curtis Blaydes opens up on UFC Sao Paulo withdrawal: ‘I promise this decision wasn’t made in haste’

Curtis Blaydes says he tried to battle through some injuries to make UFC Fight Night 231, but ultimately he decided to withdraw.

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] tried to battle through some injuries to make UFC Fight Night 231, but ultimately he decided to withdraw.

Blaydes (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) was forced out of his Nov. 4 headliner vs. Jailton Almeida (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo. Former title challenger Derrick Lewis (27-11 MMA, 18-9 UFC) will step in as a replacement.

Blaydes released a statement on his Facebook page to explain that he couldn’t overcome the injuries he was dealing with during camp.

“Injuries from camp weren’t healing at a fast enough pace for me to compete at the level required to be the best version of myself November 4th. There’s a difference between being hurt and injured took me almost 3 months to see the difference. I’m gonna take some time off from training and focus on rehabbing so i can come back fully confident in my athletic abilities. Apologies to everyone who was hyped up for this fight. I promise this decision wasn’t made in haste.”

https://www.facebook.com/curtis.blaydes.90/posts/pfbid02kh44E4Anf6NKw2DXfsmHbDFffvDsYnDdcLrxtEj42RwP3Gkr7gTPKt2bKek96Tql

Blaydes was looking to rebound from a first-round TKO loss to Sergei Pavlovich in April. Prior to that, he scored three straight wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Chris Daukaus, and Tom Aspinall.

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For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.

Derrick Lewis replaces Curtis Blaydes, headlines UFC Sao Paulo vs. Jailton Almeida

UFC Fight Night 221 has a new main event.

“The Black Beast” is headed to Brazil.

With [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] out, [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] has stepped in against [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag]. The bout will headline UFC Fight Night 221 on Nov. 4 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo.

Two people with knowledge of the change recently informed MMA Junkie of it but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Ag.Fight first reported the news Monday.

Lewis (27-11 MMA, 18-9 UFC) looks to build on the momentum he gained at UFC 291 in July when he made quick work of Marcos Rogerio de Lima and went viral with a pantless celebration. The victory snapped a three-fight losing skid and earned Lewis a new UFC contract.

Almeida (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) rides a 14-fight winning streak into the matchup including five straight finishes in the UFC. He most recently competed in May during his first promotional headliner, when he defeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik by first-round submission at UFC on ABC 4.

With the addition, UFC Fight Night 221 fight card includes:

  • Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis
  • Gabriel Bonfim vs. Nicolas Dalby
  • Don’Tale Mayes vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
  • Armen Petrosyan vs. Rodolfo Vieira
  • Ismael Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel
  • Caio Borralho vs. Abus Magomedov
  • Modestas Bukauskas vs. Vitor Petrino
  • Elves Brenner vs. Esteban Ribovics
  • Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Elizeu Zaleski
  • Denise Gomes vs. Angela Hill
  • Eduarda Moura vs. Montserrat Ruiz
  • Lucas Alexander vs. David Onama
  • Marc Diakiese vs. Kaue Fernandes

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.

Unfortunate circumstances: 14 unforeseen injuries that ended UFC main events

Nobody saw the endings to these UFC main events coming.

While the term “freak injury” might not be appropriate to use when discussing a sport that is inherently dangerous, 14 UFC main events have ended in unforeseen injuries – broken legs, separated shoulders, eye pokes, etc. – that don’t typically come in the sequence of MMA combat.

Scroll below to see a chronology of UFC main events that ended in that nature.

Note: Injuries sustained on a TKO due to strikes or tapout due to a submission are not included, nor are retirements on the stool due to extended fight damage or exhaustion. Laceration-based stoppages also are not included since they come as an intentional result of the opposition’s attack.

UFC’s Curtis Blaydes on Jailton Almeida: ‘I’m always going to be the better grappler’

Curtis Blaydes thinks he has the grappling advantage over Jailton Almeida.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] thinks he has the grappling advantage over [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag].

Blaydes (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) meets Almeida (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in a UFC Fight Night main event Nov. 4 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In a battle of two of the strongest grapplers in the division, Blaydes sees himself prevailing in that department.

“I like the matchup, though,” Blaydes told MMA Junkie at UFC X during International Fight Week. “I do like Almeida. I think he’s going to come in and look to grapple with me, and I feel like I’m always going to be the better grappler.”

Blaydes doesn’t remember the last time someone tried to shoot on him but welcomes the challenge of Almeida’s grappling.

“It’s been a minute, and I think he’s probably going to think, ‘Oh, he hasn’t had to defend a takedown in a while so he’s going to be a little rusty.’ I’ve been wrestling since 2004. I’m not going to be rusty. My sprawls are always going to be 100 percent, and I look forward to the challenge of him trying to take me down and me being the striker in this matchup.”

Blaydes doesn’t see himself getting stopped in any grappling exchanges. All four of Blaydes’ losses have come by knockout, so he says Almeida will have to put his lights out if he wants to get his hands raised.

“If he wants to play jiu-jitsu on the bottom, that’s fine with me,” Blaydes said. “He’ll lose the rounds and I don’t believe I’m going to get caught in any slick submissions. You’re going to have to knock me out. That’s the only way you’re going to be able to beat me.”

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Matchup Roundup: New UFC and Bellator fights announced in the past week (May 29-June 4)

All the UFC and Bellator 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 or Bellator.

Here are the fight announcements that were broken or confirmed by MMA Junkie or officially announced by a promotion from May 29-June 4.

Jailton Almeida vs. Curtis Blaydes in the works to headline UFC event in Sao Paulo

A “big” main event is being targeted as Curtis Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida is expected to headline a UFC event in Brazil.

A UFC heavyweight bout between contenders is in the works.

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Jailton Almeida[/autotag] is the promotion’s targeted main event for a UFC Fight Night event expected to take place Nov. 4 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Two people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie that verbal agreements are in place with contracts expected to be issued in the coming days. The people asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.

Blaydes (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) looks to rebound from a TKO loss to Sergei Pavlovich in April. The defeat snapped a three-fight winning streak that included wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Chris Daukaus, and Tom Aspinall.

Almeida (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) solidified himself as a breakthrough star May 13 when he made quick work of Rozenstruik with a sub-four-minute submission victory. All five of Almeida’s UFC appearances have come inside the distance.

The UFC has not been to Sao Paulo since November 2019 when Jan Blachowicz defeated Ronaldo Souza in the UFC Fight Night 164 main event. The event marks the second time the UFC has returned to Brazil since show with no in-attendance fans in March 2020, toward the start of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.

No other fights have been revealed for the event at this time.

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Spinning Back Clique: Nate Diaz street fight, Sergei Pavlovich’s record, Patchy Mix’s grand prix win, more

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” live stream covering the biggest topics in MMA, including some big UFC announcements.

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly live show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week’s panel of Brian “Goze” Garcia, Danny Segura and “Gorgeous” George Garcia will join host Mike Bohn live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] is on a tear, and setting UFC records. In the main event of UFC Fight Night 222, the hard-hitting Russian made quick work of Curtis Blaydes, recording his sixth-straight first-round knockout. Pavlovich wants to wait for the winner of Jon Jones vs. Stipe Miocic, as he feels he has done enough work to warrant a title shot. Is he right? How do we like his chances against Jones or Miocic?
  • At Bellator 295 in Honolulu, [autotag]Patchy Mix[/autotag] created the highlight of the weekend in a Knockout of the Year candidate victory over Raufeon Stots to win the bantamweight grand prix. He’s now $1 million richer and is interim champ, setting up a unifier with the winner of [autotag]Sergio Pettis[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Patricio Freire[/autotag], who fight on June 16 at Bellator 297. Is Mix the best bantamweight in the world? If not, where does he stack up?
  • The UFC dropped a tidal wave of fight announcements on us over the past week, including [autotag]Belal Muhammad[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Gilbert Burns[/autotag] at UFC 288 next week in Newark, N.J. The promotion pulled off booking this fight on 16 days’ notice for a PPV that needed it, and it’ll be 5 rounds, with both men claiming the UFC has promised them the next title shot after [autotag]Leon Edwards[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Colby Covington[/autotag]. Are you surprised Burns accepted it given he just fought and/or surprised Muhammad took it because he just finished Ramadan?
  • Among the numerous fight announcements for UFC 290, which takes place July 8 in Las Vegas and marks the 11th annual International Fight Week, was a “middleweight title eliminator” between [autotag]Robert Whittaker [/autotag]and [autotag]Dricus Du Plessis[/autotag]. It’s increasingly rare that UFC outright labels fights as No. 1 contender bouts, but Dana White said in his announcement that the winner of this will face [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] later this year, likely in Sydney, Australia. Was this the right booking for the division?
  • [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] found himself in the headlines on Friday night, and it wasn’t for the best of reasons. First, he attended a Misfits Boxing event in New Orleans where his teammate Chris Avila was competing, and was caught on camera ringside throwing a water bottle at reality star Chase DeMoor that started a scuffle.
    A few hours later, footage surfaced of Diaz on the streets of New Orleans in what appeared to be a multi-person altercation. Diaz choked one man out cold, with his head slamming against the concrete. There are still many unknowns about what happened, but we do know what we saw on video, and that’s Diaz – a superstar professional fighter – choking out a non-pro in a very dangerous situation. Will Diaz face serious repercussions for his actions?

“Spinning Back Clique” is released each Monday LIVE on MMA Junkie’s YouTube channel. You can watch this week’s episode in the video above.

Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Curtis Blaydes after UFC Fight Night 222 loss?

How should Curtis Blaydes try to rebound after falling short of securing a title shot opportunity once again at UFC Fight Night 222?

(ALSO SEE: Mick Maynard’s Shoes: What’s next for Sergei Pavlovich after UFC Fight Night 222 win?)

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] faced a familiar type of disappointment on Saturday at UFC Fight Night 222 when he fell short in another title eliminator, this time against Sergei Pavlovich.

Blaydes (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) Sergei saw his three-fight winning streak come to an end when he was put away by Pavlovich (17-1 MMA, 6-1 UFC) in a first-round TKO at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, derailing any short-term hopes he has of fighting for the belt.

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It’s back to the drawing board for “Razor,” but what should come next? Watch the video above for thoughts and analysis on Blaydes’ future after UFC Fight Night 222.

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 222.