Curtis Blaydes targets winner of Tai Tuivasa vs. Ciryl Gane: “I deserve a title eliminator fight”

UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes is ready for a title eliminator fight.

‘Razor’ is fresh off his victory over Tom Aspinall at UFC London last Saturday. Sadly, the win likely didn’t come the way Blaydes wanted. Just seconds into the contest, the Brit’s knee buckled, and the contest was called off. Blaydes was given the victory via first-round TKO.

With that, the 31-year-old had his third win in a row. Prior to the victory over Aspinall, Blaydes had defeated Chris Daukaus and Jairzinho Rozenstruik. Furthermore, the wrestler has won seven of his last eight contests. That sort of run leads Blaydes to believe he should be fighting for a title.

Curtis Blaydes discussed his UFC future in an interview on The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani. The heavyweight contender revealed he has zero plans to fight anyone ranked below him. It’s worth noting his last three opponents have been ranked below him.

Furthermore, the 31-year-old would like to fight the winner of Tai Tuivasa vs. Ciryl Gane, which is happening in September. Blaydes believes a matchup like that would need to be a title eliminator as well. The heavyweight contender has been in the top five for years, but has not yet fought for gold.

“I’m not going to fight someone again ranked below me. I did it for Aspinall because I knew a win over him would be legitimate, and he’s ranked sixth but could easily be top five. So, that was different. But, I’m not going to fight someone ranked below me. I want the winner of Tai Tuivasa [vs. Ciryl Gane].”

Curtis Blaydes continued, “I’ve earned it, I deserve it. I’ve been in the Top five since 2018, ever since I beat Alistair [Overeem]. I deserve a title eliminator fight.”

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