Curtis Blaydes News

Tom Taylor - December 14, 2017

When heavyweight veteran Alistair Overeem stepped into the Octagon with brick-fisted puncher Francis Ngannou at UFC 218, he opted to stand and trade with him, and ultimately paid the price, succumbing to a first-round uppercut. Speaking on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio, 9th-ranked UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes explained that he does not expect Francis Ngannou’s next opponent, UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic, to make this kind of mistake. Instead, he expects a cautious and surgical approach from the champ. “I was a little surprised [how the fight went],” Curtis Blaydes said on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio. “I wasn’t surprised at Ngannou. He did, definitely, what he should have done, [which] was just stand there and chuck [punches at] him, and it worked. I’m surprised that Overeem was so quick to engage in that type of action. Overeem’s a veteran, and him knowing that he doesn’t have the best chin anymore, I was a bit surprised at how eager he was [to trade].”

Tom Taylor - December 14, 2017

Earlier this month, in the co-main event of UFC 218, surging French-Cameroonian heavyweight Francis Ngannou knocked out Alistair Overeem to earn a shot at reigning UFC heavyweight champ Stipe Miocic. This violent knockout win caused Ngannou’s hype to skyrocket to new and towering heights, but in the opinion of 9th-ranked heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes, the outcome of this fight had a lot to do with Overeem’s surprising game plan. “I mean, I was a little surprised [how the fight went],” Curtis Blaydes said on the latest episode of BJ Penn Radio. “I wasn’t surprised at Ngannou. He did, definitely, what he should have done, [which] was just stand there and chuck [punches at] him, and it worked. I’m surprised that Overeem was so quick to engage in that type of action. Overeem’s a veteran, and him knowing that he doesn’t have the best chin anymore, I was a bit surprised at how eager he was [to trade].”

Jason Kindschy - December 13, 2017

BJPENN.COM Radio returns tonight at 8PM ET/5PM PT! 8:15PM ET- Kicking things off tonight is heavyweight prospect Curtis “Razor” Blaydes. While it was just announced that Curtis is set to face Mark Hunt at UFC 221, we caught up with the Team Elevation product before the bout was made. Nevertheless, we spoke with Blaydes about his evolution as a martial artist, the opponents he was hoping for at the time, and what he thinks of the current title picture.

Tom Taylor - December 13, 2017

Yesterday morning, UFC heavyweight legend Mark Hunt took to social media with a threatening message directed at his next opponent. He did not, however, specify who that next opponent was. “You have called me out, and now I’m going to give it to you right in that big mouth of yours,” Hunt said in this post, which has since been deleted “I’m going to wrap this gift up nice and tight for you boii so you never compete again at this level. The only good thing I can say about you is you are not a spineless coward mutt like ‘Werbum’. There isn’t anything worse for me than someone who is scared to fight like ‘Werbum.’”