5 reasons why Curtis Blaydes could be the UFC's next interim heavyweight champion

Following his win over Chris Daukaus in the UFC’s most recent Fight Night headliner, it’s safe to say Curtis Blaydes is a genuine title contender in the heavyweight division.

With champion Francis Ngannou on the shelf for an undetermined amount of time, it’s likely the UFC could introduce an interim heavyweight title soon. Could Curtis Blaydes become the new champion?

While there’s likely to be some serious competition for such a title if the UFC does create it, ‘Razor’ seems more likely than any of his rivals to claim it right now. On that note, here are five reasons why Blaydes could be the UFC’s next interim heavyweight champion.

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#5. Curtis Blaydes’ recent win should propel him into any future title bout the UFC makes

Blaydes' recent win over Chris Daukaus should be enough to hand him a shot at any interim title the UFC creates.

In the cutthroat world of the UFC, timing is often the key to a fighter finding success, particularly when it comes to being handed a shot at a title.

Essentially, the UFC’s matchmakers love to strike while the iron is hot. The future of reigning heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou is very much up in the air. So if an interim title is to be created in the near future, it’s likely the promotion could look to book someone with a recent impressive win into a fight for it.

Tai Tuivasa and Tom Aspinall have both already picked up big wins this year. However, the win that will be the freshest in the minds of fans right now will definitely be Curtis Blaydes’ brutal knockout of Chris Daukaus last weekend.

Sure, it’s arguable that Tuivasa’s KO of Derrick Lewis was more impressive than Blaydes’ win. However, due to the sheer amount of UFC events on view for fans, many of them will already have forgotten about ‘Bam Bam’ and his heavy hands, temporarily at least.

Therefore, if the UFC ends up announcing the creation of an interim heavyweight title in the next few weeks, which seems ever more likely, it’s very possible Blaydes will be involved. That means there’s a high chance he could claim the gold in the near future.

#4. Curtis Blaydes seems to be improving his overall skills

Curtis Blaydes appears to have improved his stand-up game hugely.

The big knock on Curtis Blaydes was always that he fought in a somewhat one-dimensional way, preferring to use his powerful wrestling game to smother his opponents to defeat. ‘Razor’ didn’t always have a dull approach per se, but it was probably fair to say that often fans didn’t enjoy his bouts.

His victory over Junior Dos Santos in early 2020 appeared to suggest a change in his approach. He used the threat of his takedown to knock the former champion out. However, his subsequent wins over Alexander Volkov and Jairzinho Rozenstruik saw him regress to his more one-dimensional style.

However, Blaydes’ win over Chris Daukaus this weekend saw him demonstrate better striking skills than we’d ever seen from him before.

Not only did ‘Razor’ turn out his opponent’s lights in violent fashion, but he also largely outstruck the dangerous Daukaus for the entirety of the fight. He showed improvement in his defense, head movement and hand speed.

Given that he seems to be improving in this fashion, it’s likely more steps forward could happen in the near future. That means ‘Razor’ could become the UFC’s interim heavyweight champion if he’s given a shot at the gold.

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#3. The two fighters to beat Curtis Blaydes are no longer in the picture

Despite his KO of Curtis Blaydes, Derrick Lewis is no longer in the title picture.

Curtis Blaydes’ record of 16-3 is one of the most impressive in the UFC’s heavyweight division. That's particularly when you consider the caliber of opponents he has taken out since his debut in 2016.

However, under regular circumstances, the three losses held by ‘Razor’ might be enough to keep him from getting close to receiving a title shot in the octagon. After all, there’d probably be no money in Blaydes facing champion Francis Ngannou for the title when ‘The Predator’ already holds two stoppage wins over him.

With Ngannou now on the shelf for an indeterminate amount of time, though – with a chance of him leaving the UFC altogether – everything has changed for ‘Razor’.

Essentially, there’s now nothing standing in his way of receiving a shot at the title, particularly if it’s an interim one. The fact that the other man to beat him – Derrick Lewis – has now slipped down the ladder helps Blaydes' cause too.

For all intents and purposes, both fighters who hold wins over ‘Razor’ are no longer in the picture. That means, theoretically, there should be no roadblocks for Blaydes any more, giving him a clear path to winning gold in the octagon.

#2. Curtis Blaydes is a bad match for the fighters ranked above him

Curtis Blaydes would be hopeful of outwrestling Ciryl Gane if they were to fight.

If Curtis Blaydes is to win the interim UFC heavyweight title – assuming the promotion does introduce it – he’ll probably have to go through one of the fighters ranked above him to do it. So is that possible for ‘Razor’? Absolutely.

It’s unlikely #2 ranked Stipe Miocic would be involved in any kind of interim title bout, given his lengthy absence from the octagon. That means Blaydes would probably be matched with either Ciryl Gane or Tai Tuivasa for the gold.

Luckily for ‘Razor’, he matches up remarkably well with both men. Both ‘Bon Gamin’ and ‘Bam Bam’ are absolutely deadly strikers who possess brutal knockout power. They’re not alike in many ways – Gane is a technical kickboxer, while Tuivasa prefers to brawl – but it’s fair to say that both prefer to keep their fights vertical.

However, both men have shown a massive weakness in the form of their defensive wrestling. Tuivasa’s losses to Junior Dos Santos, Blagoy Ivanov and Sergey Spivak all saw him look like a fish out of water on the ground. Meanwhile, Gane was outworked by the takedowns of Francis Ngannou, a fighter not renowned for his wrestling.

If Gane and Tuivasa were unable to outfight those opponents on the ground, it’s hard to imagine either man being able to fend off the takedowns of Blaydes, who is the best wrestler in the division right now.

Therefore, it’d be hard not to favou ‘Razor’ in a fight with either ‘Bam Bam’ or ‘Bon Gamin’ – giving him a huge chance of becoming the next champion in his division.

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#1. Curtis Blaydes may be in the UFC’s good books right now

Curtis Blaydes appears to be back in the UFC's good books after his spat with them in 2020.

It’s likely Curtis Blaydes’ recent win over Chris Daukaus would’ve been enough to propel him into a title bout in the near future under regular circumstances – particularly an interim heavyweight title fight in the absence of Francis Ngannou. However, he might have found that difficult if he were still on the outs with Dana White.

For those unaware of the situation, Blaydes came under fire from White following his win over Alexander Volkov in 2020. That's because he didn’t produce his best performance despite suggesting he deserved to be paid more before the bout.

Blaydes then lost to Derrick Lewis via KO. The situation appeared to go quiet till his recent wins over Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Daukaus, suggesting that nothing had really been resolved between the two parties.

However, if former middleweight star Chael Sonnen is to be believed, the issue between Blaydes and the UFC has been settled. According to Sonnen, after fielding offers as a free agent following his loss to Lewis, Blaydes re-signed with the UFC for less money than he’d been offered elsewhere. That suggets he holds at least some kind of loyalty to the promotion.

If that is true, it’s highly likely Blaydes is in the UFC’s good books right now – particularly after he delivered a highlight reel knockout in his headline bout last weekend.

Therefore, any upcoming interim title bout is very likely to include ‘Razor’, giving him a greater chance than anyone else of becoming the next champion.