Interview with Curtis Blaydes Ahead of UFC Raleigh and What he Thinks of Tyson Fury in the UFC!

Blaydes will take on No. 4 ranked Junior Dos Santos at UFC Raleigh. This heavyweight bout will take place in the PNC Arena on January 26th.

Blaydes, who currently sits at (12-2) in his professional career, has had a pretty impressive run within the UFC, racking up 7 wins with only 2 defeats, the two defeats coming against one of the most feared men in the heavyweight division in Francis N’Gannou. Blaydes was welcomed to the promotion by N’Gannou back in 2016 where he made his debut. Unfortunately, the contest was stopped by the doctor and the result went N’Gannou’s way. Since then, Blaydes has gone on a tear, taking out everybody in his way. Names like Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem are among them.

After tasting his first professional loss, Blaydes picked up five consecutive wins on the bounce. He was toe to toe with N’Gannou once again, where the outcome remained the same.

Since then, Blaydes has been back to killing it in the division, more recently picking up a unanimous decision win v Justin Willis and finishing Shamil Abdurakhimov via ground and pound in Abu Dhabi.

His opponent for Jan 26th in Raleigh is also a well respected martial artist in Junior Dos Santos, who sits at (21-6). We last saw Dos Santos in action back in June where we saw him get finished in round 1 by none other than Francis N’Gannou. However, before this bout Dos Santos picked up win’s over Derrick Lewis, Tai Tuivasa and Blagoy Ivanov in convincing fashion. Dos Santos is not to be taken lightly and is a dangerous individual. He has wins over names such as Hunt, Mir, Velasques, and Nelson. However, we are certain this is all something Blaydes has prepared for.

Curtis Blaydes let us ask him some questions ahead of his UFC bout, which we are extremely grateful for.

For me, with a win over Dos Santos, you have to be in the mix for a title shot. What’s next for you if you are victorious and would you welcome a trilogy with Francis?

Curtis Blaydes – “With a win over Dos Santos, it puts me in the conversation for a title shot, simply put. If the UFC sees fit to give me Francis again then so be it, but that’d be a consolation when compared to a title shot so I’d prefer the latter to the former.”

What do you think of the potential Tyson Fury talk within the UFC? It’s a long shot, however, if this were to happen, would you welcome that fight?

Curtis Blaydes – “Personally it’s a long shot in my eyes and no that fight wouldn’t be a fight. It would be a murder and wouldn’t improve my chances of a title shot.”

What inspires you to be a successful MMA fighter and what drives you day to day to train and compete?

Curtis Blaydes – “Money and providing for my daughter are the only motivators I need. I have no love for fighting. I forget because I’m good at it and it pays very well.”

How do you view Dos Santos as an opponent and what do you think the biggest threat in his game is?

Curtis Blaydes – “I view Dos Santos as a potential Hall of Fame candidate and a veteran of many wars. I don’t believe he’s just as good as he was ten years ago. That’s just not how life and athletic careers work. Decline happens to everyone and I feel he’s on his decline and I’m only improving. His biggest threat is his long loopy right overhand, besides that, I don’t see anything else of note.”

I’d like to thank Curtis for his time, go check out his social media accounts and get behind him.

• FACEBOOK – Curtis Blaydes
• TWITTER – @RazorBlaydes265
• INSTAGRAM – razorblaydes265

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