“I Want to Be the Next Khabib Nurmagomedov of the Heavyweights”- Throwback to When Curtis Blaydes Announced Big Goals

Curtis Blaydes is set to collide against Derrick Lewis, on November 28 at Vegas 15. The duo is ranked in the top-five and the winner will be a sure-shot contender for the heavyweight gold once Ngannou and Miocic fight.

A year ago, the ‘Razor’ Blaydes interacted with Brett Okamoto of ESPN after his vicious TKO victory over Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 242. In this video, the ‘Razor’ was seen talking about his blistering performance and how he wishes to become ‘Khabib’ of the Heavyweights.

He said, “I knew when I landed that heavy elbow, he (Shamil) went out there. And I knew once he started gushing he went to go to rub it that’s like a mental ‘Oh no I want to get out of here’. So that’s when I started pouring it on him.”

Blaydes continued, “I want to be the next Khabib (Nurmagomedov) of heavyweights. I want to get guys down there and I don’t want to be like a break for them, I want to be torture… I want guys to be so afraid of going down that they start dropping their hands. You know how McGregor dropped his hand and Khabib was able to drop him. I want the same effect that when I do this (go down) I want guys to be like, oh no, and I can come over the top!”

On his return to the UFC Apex, Blaydes will look to employ the takedown and follow up his record-breaking fight against Alexander Volkov from June.

READ –Curtis Blaydes Breaks Cain Velasquez’s Record for Most UFC Heavyweight Takedowns

Is Curtis Blaydes vs Derrick Lewis a good stylistic match?

‘Razor’ Blaydes is predominantly the best wrestler in the heavyweight division as of now. The ‘Black Beast’ is a scary striker who has the audacity to land huge right hands on his opponents. Out of 15 wins in his UFC career, he has finished 12 opponents via TKO.

Blaydes has an upper hand this weekend, as Lewis has struggled against good wrestlers in the past. The ‘Razor’ would look to exploit Lewis at the same juncture. Though Blaydes is a magnificent wrestler, he showcases a great standup game.

Out of his nine wins in the promotion, five have come via TKO. With his current skill set, he can be a real problem to any heavyweight out there.

Who are you rooting for in this fight? Do you think the winner of this fight gets a shot at the heavyweight gold? Will Blaydes put in another performance to back his ‘Khabib of the heavyweights’ claim?