Curtis Blaydes is not too bothered by the power of Derrick Lewis.
The two heavyweights collide in the UFC Vegas 15 headliner on Saturday in a fight that could determine the next person in line for a title shot.
The threats from both sides are pretty easy — Blaydes has his wrestling while Lewis has his power. But as far as Blaydes is concerned, every heavyweight has power.
And despite Lewis boasting 19 of his 24 career wins by knockout, Blaydes sees plenty of holes in his striking.
“We’re heavyweights; power is a prerequisite,” Blaydes told MMA Junkie. “I’m not overly impressed with it. Do I understand he’s got it? Yes. But do I understand that he’s just looking to knock my head off? Yes. That’s what makes him predictable.
“He doesn’t use his jab. He doesn’t set up combinations. He doesn’t move his feet. When he throws his rear overhand, he brings up his rear leg, and he ends up in a square stance, which is the worst thing to do against a guy like me, so there’s just so many holes in his striking.”
Lewis has also been known to get taken down but does manage to find his way back to his feet — sometimes in comical fashion.
However, he is yet to face anyone with the grappling credentials that Blaydes boasts as the Chicago native intends on keeping him on the ground.
“People aren’t doing their research on who are the people taking him down, who are the people that he’s standing up against,” Blaydes said. “The thing is, he’s getting taken down by everybody. Blagoy Ivanov took him down. Ilir Latifi took him down. Alexander Volkov took him down. Marcin Tybura took him down. Everyone took him down, but these guys aren’t even good grapplers.
“When a good grappler takes you down, you don’t just get up. You need technique to get up, and that’s the thing: The UFC has protected him. He hasn’t gotten a good grappler. Now he’s getting one. He’s not just going to stand up. That’s disrespectful to all the years of wrestling I’ve put into my own game. I’ve worked too hard at this. The muscle memory is too locked in. That’s not how it works.”
In the end, Blaydes is a betting favorite for a reason and whether he gets a finish on Saturday night all depends on how much heart Lewis has according to him.
“You’re always hoping to get a finish, but it depends on him, how tough he is,” Blaydes said. “It’s a grind. I’m going to press him, get him up against the cage, get him on the ground. Take him down, ground and pound him, and if he makes it out of the round, rinse and repeat. If he makes it out of that round, rinse and repeat. If he makes it out of that round, rinse and repeat.
“Is he willing to go to the dark places? I’ve been to the dark places. My last fight against Volkov, I went to the dark place, and now I know how to operate within that space. I don’t think he’s ever been happy going to that place.”
What do you make of Blaydes’ comments?