Curtis Blaydes: ‘I don’t think I have a glass jaw. I just think it’s heavyweight’ responds to critics
The US-born ‘Razor’ Curtis Blaydes has suffered a few knockouts in his UFC career. Now, head of UFC 304, the heavyweight lashed back at fans who are critical of his ability to stay conscious. The 33-year-old wrestling standout points out that his only KO losses are to the heaviest of hitters.
Curtis Blaydes’ Next Fight
The American athlete Curtis Blaydes will once again face Tom Aspinall in the UK. Their first match ended quite quickly as the English-born Aspinall injured his leg in the first round. This time, on July 27, an interim title will be on the line. Ahead of the matchup, ‘Razor’ spoke with MMA Fighting in a lengthy interview.
Curtis Blaydes in the UFC
The only knockout losses in Blaydes’ professional career have come at the hands of some of the hardest hitters such as Derrick Lewis, Sergei Pavlovich, and Francis Ngannou. Along the way, he survived strikes from kickboxing champion, and sluggers, Alistair Overeem and Mark Hunt.
“Like, ‘Oh, he got knocked out! He’s a bum!’ No, it’s heavyweight,” Blaydes continued, “If you watch [Sean] O’Malley against [Chito] Vera on [UFC] 299, if that was heavyweight, it wouldn’t have went five rounds. I promise you. The way O’Malley was hitting Vera, that’s not going past two rounds. Just because they don’t hit as hard.”
“People are like, ‘Blaydes has a glass jaw.’” ‘Razor’ Curtis Blaydes added, “I got knocked out by Derrick Lewis, Sergei caught me but I wasn’t asleep, and [Francis] Ngannou, but again, I wasn’t asleep. Three heavy, heavy hitters. And I ate one from Mark Hunt, a real overhand — I ate that. I don’t think I have a glass jaw. I just think it’s heavyweight and we all hit hard.
“It’s almost a different sport when you compare it to other weight classes,” the 33-year-old athlete said, “The things you can get away with. You can flick out a lazy, inside leg kick [at other weight classes] and if you get hit with a hook, it’s not the end of the world. Not at heavyweight. That’s what happened to [Alexander] Volkov. He flicked out a lazy one with Derrick [Lewis] at the end of the fight, gets knocked out.”
‘Razor’ Curtis Blaydes is a talented heavyweight with a background in wrestling holding a national championship at NJCAA. In his UFC career, he has notable opponents such as Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Alexander Volkov, Junior Dos Santos, and Jailton Almeida, among others. Who is looking to capture the interim title at UFC 304, he is looking for UFC gold, and then to face the division champion, Jon Jones.
