Tag: Curtis Blaydes

UFC Fight Night 222 video: Sergei Pavlovich, Curtis Blaydes combine for 523 pounds at weigh-ins

Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 222 main event between Sergei Pavlovich and Curtis Blaydes is official after both men made weight.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC Fight Night 222 main event is official after heavyweight contenders [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] and [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] made weight.

Pavlovich (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) and Blaydes (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) came in under the divisional limit at Friday’s official weigh-in, locking in Saturday’s headlining act at the UFC Apex, which streams on ESPN+.

Riding a five-fight streak of first-round knockouts, Pavlovich tipped the scale at 260.5 pounds for his first main event. Longtime contender Blaydes, meanwhile, was 262.5 pounds in advance of his attempt at a fourth consecutive triumph.

Check out the video above to see Pavlovich and Blaydes weigh in for UFC Fight Night 222.

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

[lawrence-related id=2635887]

UFC Fight Night 222 breakdown: Will Curtis Blaydes’ wrestling nullify Sergei Pavlovich’s power?

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC Fight Night 222 main event, a heavyweight bout between Curtis Blaydes and Sergei Pavlovich.

MMA Junkie analyst Dan Tom breaks down the UFC’s top bouts. Today, we look at the main event for UFC Fight Night 222.

UFC Fight Night 222 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

UFC free fight: Curtis Blaydes puts away Chris Daukaus in Performance of the Night TKO

Watch Curtis Blaydes run through Chris Daukaus with a brutal TKO win in March 2022.

The heavyweight title picture will have a major makeover this Saturday.

Top contenders [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] and [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] collide in the headlining slot of UFC Fight Night 222, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The card streams on ESPN+.

Entering Saturday’s UFC event, Blaydes (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) carries the momentum of a three-fight winning streak. In that stretch, Blaydes picked up a $50,000 Performance of the Night bonus when he put away Chris Daukaus in the second round of their contest back March 2022 at UFC on ESPN 33. He did so in spectacular fashion.

You can watch Blaydes’s impressive finish in the video above.

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

[lawrence-auto-related count=3 category=420030788]

UFC veterans in MMA and boxing action April 21-23

Check out which UFC veterans are in MMA and boxing action across the globe this weekend.

This week, the UFC is back in Las Vegas at the UFC Apex for a heavyweight showdown. In the main event, [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] takes on [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] in a fight scheduled for five rounds.

Elsewhere, many other MMA and boxing events are taking place that feature a number of familiar names that have competed under the UFC banner.

This weekend, there are a total of 18 veterans of the global MMA leader competing in MMA and boxing this week from April 21-23.

Check out the names and details about their bouts below.

Upcoming event information from Tapology.

Curtis Blaydes plans to sit back if he wins at UFC Fight Night 222: ‘I’ll wait for a title shot’

UFC Fight Night 222 headliner Curtis Blaydes plans to sit and wait for a title shot if he gets through Sergei Pavlovich.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] has been “right there” for quite some time and he plans to stop pushing his luck if he wins at UFC Fight Night 222.

A winner of three in a row and seven of his most recent eight, Blaydes (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) revealed Wednesday he plans to sit and wait for a title shot if he defeats Sergei Pavlovich (17-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) on Saturday at the UFC Apex.

“I know what I’m working toward,” Blaydes told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference. “If I win, I’ll wait. I’ll wait for a title shot. I don’t care who it is. If it’s Jon (Jones), if it’s Stipe (Miocic), if they bring in Brock Lesnar, I’ll wait.”

The current UFC heavyweight titleholder is Jon Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC), who returned from a three-year absence in March and quickly defeated Ciryl Gane for the vacant strap. While Jones’ future in the sport is murky beyond a bout vs. Stipe Miocic at Madison Square Garden later this year, Blaydes thinks he presents some unique issues for the current champion.

“The wrestling I present, it’s a problem,” Blaydes said. “If you don’t think so, then you don’t really understand MMA. The ability for me to take the fight from on the feet to the ground when I want to puts more mental pressure on my opponents that have to think about it. Even if I don’t actually shoot, you know it’s an option and it’s something for you to think about. I use that and I think I can use that against Jon.”

[lawrence-related id=2635450,2635486]

Blaydes, 32, revealed he’s willing to weigh-in as a backup for Jones vs. Miocic whenever it happens. But if the Jones matchup never happens, Blaydes won’t be disappointed. He’s out for one thing only and that’s title gold.

“I’m not in this for glory,” Blaydes said. “That’s not what wakes me up and gets me working out in the morning. I’m here for money. And I know if I get the belt, I get more money. Whoever I have to fight to get the belt, I really don’t care who it is. It’d help, obviously, if it was Jon. It helps my legacy, but it’s not the end-all, be-all for me.”

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

[pickup_prop id=”32074″]

Video: UFC Fight Night 222 media day interviews

Before UFC Fight Night 222 on Saturday, main card fighters are scheduled to speak to reporters at media day.

LAS VEGAS – The UFC schedule for April rolls on Saturday with UFC Fight Night 222, which takes place at the UFC Apex and streams on ESPN+.

A marquee heavyweight main event serves as the final act on the card. Sergei Pavlovich (16-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) will take on Curtis Blaydes (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) in a key matchup with legitimate title stakes.

Before fight night arrives, though, six athletes from the main card spoke to reporters Wednesday at media day, and MMA Junkie was on-site.

If you happen to miss any of the individual sessions on the live stream, check below for the archived videos of each fighter.

Spinning Back Clique: Max Holloway holds serve, Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz official, more

Check out this week’s “Spinning Back Clique” live stream covering the biggest topics in MMA, including reaction to Max Holloway’s win, Jake Paul vs. Nate Diaz and much more.

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 Dan Tom, Brian “Goze” Garcia, and “Gorgeous” George Garcia will join host Mike Bohn live at noon ET (9 a.m. PT) to discuss and debate:

  • [autotag]Max Holloway[/autotag]’s future as a featherweight contender after he defeated Arnold Allen in the UFC on ESPN 44 main event in Kansas City, Mo.
  • The announcement of [autotag]Jake Paul[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Nate Diaz[/autotag] in an eight-round boxing match on Aug. 5 in Dallas.
  • Former UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Alex Pereira[/autotag] confirming his move to the light heavyweight division after a knockout loss in his rematch against Israel Adesanya at UFC 287.
  • The situation around UFC 288 on May 6 after [autotag]Charles Oliveira[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Beneil Dariush[/autotag] was postponed, and Dana White revealed the promotion is working on a new fight to serve as the co-main event.
  • The significance of Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 222 headliner in Las Vegas, where top contenders [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] and [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] meet in a key clash.

“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.

[lawrence-related id=2635054,2634131,2634147]

UFC Fight Night 222: How to watch Pavlovich vs. Blaydes, start time, fight card, odds

Here’s what you need to know to watch UFC Fight Night 222 with Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes in the headliner.

The UFC is back in Las Vegas for a home event with UFC Fight Night 222 at the UFC Apex, and a pivotal heavyweight matchup is atop the card.

Here’s how to watch UFC Fight Night 222, headlined by [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag].

Curtis Blaydes doesn’t expect Ciryl Gane to evolve his grappling game after Jon Jones UFC title loss

Curtis Blaydes doesn’t see Ciryl Gane filling the holes in his grappling game after his UFC heavyweight title submission loss to Jon Jones.

[autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] doesn’t see [autotag]Ciryl Gane[/autotag] filling the holes in his grappling game.

Gane (11-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) was quickly taken down and submitted by Jon Jones (27-1 MMA, 21-1 UFC) in their vacant heavyweight title fight earlier this month at UFC 285.

Wrestling also cost Gane in his title fight against Francis Ngannou at UFC 270, in which he was taken down four times. “Bon Gamin” is already back to work and intent on improving his grappling, but the UFC’s leader in most takedowns landed doesn’t see Gane ever reaching a high enough level.

“I think he’s like a lot of guys: He got away without having to wrestle, just like Francis when he fought Stipe (Miocic)” Blaydes said in an interview with LowKick MMA. “He got away with not having to learn how to wrestle. It’s not just him.

“There’s a lot of guys with holes in their games because they only focus on one aspect of MMA. It’s not like we didn’t already know that it was a hole. I know a lot of people are expecting him just to plug it. It takes years to learn how to grapple. He’s not going to get it. He’s not going to get it. I don’t expect him to get it.”

Considering the stylistic matchup, Blaydes (17-3 MMA, 12-3 UFC) says the Jones vs. Gane fight played out the way he expected it to – just quicker.

“I don’t think anyone expected it to end that fast,” Blaydes said. “But I’m not shocked at how he was able to take him down and hold him down and get on his neck.

“When you have a hole that big in your grappling and then you are going against Jones who, that’s like a strength of his – I thought it was going to be elbows. I didn’t think it would be a submission. So I guess that was a little surprising, but I’m not surprised he got the finish. I was expecting the finish.”

Blaydes will look to emerge as a title contender when he faces the streaking Sergei Pavlovich in the UFC Fight Night 222 headliner April 22.

UFC Fight Night 222 adds heavyweight bout Junior Tafa vs. Mohammed Usman

Younger siblings of UFC vets are set to clash at UFC Fight Night 222 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Younger siblings of UFC veterans will meet in a heavyweight clash in April.

At UFC Fight Night 222, heavyweight winner of “The Ultimate Fighter Season 30” [autotag]Mohammed Usman[/autotag] will meet the debuting [autotag]Junior Tafa[/autotag] on April 22, according to an announcement by the promotion.

The event takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, and is headlined by a heavyweight matchup between [autotag]Sergei Pavlovich[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag].

Mohammed (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC), the younger brother of former welterweight champion [autotag]Kamaru Usman[/autotag], took care of business in his first fight with the promotion at UFC on ESPN 40. A violent left hook put Zac Pauga down in the second round, crowning Mohammed the winner of “TUF 30.”

Junior (4-0 MMA, 0-0 UFC), the younger sibling of UFC heavyweight [autotag]Justin Tafa[/autotag], will fight for the promotion for the first time. Junior has been on an undefeated streak since 2020 across MMA, kickboxing, Muay Thai, and boxing bouts, racking up a total of eight straight victories.

With the addition, the UFC Fight Night 222 lineup includes:

  • Sergei Pavlovich vs. Curtis Blaydes
  • Matthew Semelsberger vs. Jeremiah Wells
  • Norma Dumont vs. Karol Rosa
  • Ricky Simon vs. Song Yadong
  • William Gomis vs. Francis Marshall
  • Iasmin Lucindo vs. Brogan Walker
  • Jared Gordon vs. Bobby Green
  • Junior Tafa vs. Mohammed Usman
  • Priscila Cachoeira vs. Karine Silva
  • Danaa Batgerel vs. Brady Hiestand
  • Bruno Silva vs. Brad Tavares
  • Christos Giagos vs. Ricky Glenn
  • Montel Jackson vs. Rani Yahya