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With the forthcoming addition of Jon Jones to the weight class, heavyweight mainstay Curtis Blaydes has opened up on where he believes he has advantages over the former two-time 205-pound champion and the areas he wishes to expose.
Despite an underwhelming end to his highly anticipated main event clash against Tom Aspinall at UFC London in July, 'Razor' finds himself on a three-fight win streak and edging closer to a potential title shot. The 31-year-old has only lost to Francis Ngannou and Derrick Lewis throughout his nine-year MMA career.
While talking about Jon Jones during a recent appearance on Food Truck Diaries, Curtis Blaydes insisted that size, power, and explosiveness would all be in his favor if the two ever meet in the octagon:
"Just the difference between 215 or 197 compared to heavyweight, when you're on the bottom, when he's underneath me, which I do plan on him being underneath me. He's gonna use a lot more energy than what he's used to using. I think that'll be the biggest factor [during the wrestling exchanges]... Size, power, explosiveness [are all to my advantage]. He's not the most explosive guy, he's very creative with the striking, but he's not very explosive. I think he's more well-rounded, but [I have advantages in] the wrestling, the size, the explosion, and power."
Despite losing just three of his 16 UFC bouts dating back to his debut in 2016, many believe Curtis Blaydes hasn't received the respect he should be getting. Some see him as a dark horse in the heavyweight division.
While many tend to enjoy the sheer power on display in the weight class, there are not many other contenders that are capable of doing what the NJCAA Wrestler is in the grappling department.
Check out what Curtis Blaydes had to say in the video below:
When is Jon Jones returning to the octagon?
It's been almost three years since Jon Jones last made an appearance in the sport, but that drought will soon be over as he prepares to make his divisional debut on March 4.
In the headliner of UFC 285, 'Bones' will stand across the octagon from the always dangerous Ciryl Gane. The two will battle it out for the recently vacated heavyweight title inside Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena.
Excluding his disqualification loss to Matt Hamill, Jones has managed to maintain his undefeated streak, though many believe his most recent performances left much to be desired.
