Curtis Blaydes thinks former title challenger Francis Ngannou is in a ‘dark place’ heading into their main event rematch at UFC Beijing.
Blaydes will get his chance at redemption as Ngannou defeated “Razor” via second-round TKO (via doctor stoppage) in April 2016. That remains the only loss on Blaydes’ record.
Their first meeting, however, served as a bit of a launching point for both fighters. “The Predator” went on a run that took him straight to a title shot. As for Blaydes, he is still peaking and has won five straight since losing to Ngannou.
Blaydes said he always thought he and Ngannou would cross paths again. It just made too much sense to “Razor.”
“I wouldn’t say it kept me up at night, but I knew it would happen eventually,” Blaydes told reporters, including LowkickMMA, during a recent media scrum. “It was inevitable. I knew he’d be around, I’d be around. The UFC likes natural stories like this. We already have a natural storyline. It’s not fake. We had a fight, he won, but I didn’t get to finish it. So I do have a bit of redemption I want to get.”
Blaydes will headline UFC Fight Night 141 takes place Nov. 24 at Cadillac Arena in Beijing. The event will stream entirely on UFC Fight Pass.
When asked about Ngannou’s mental state after his last two losses, Blaydes doesn’t see how the Cameroonian can be in a good place. However, he still sees Ngannou as a dangerous opponent.
“He’s probably in a hole right now,” Blaydes said. “0-2 after being the hotshot? That’s got to be a dark, dark place. I want him to be his best, I don’t want any excuses out of his camp or the fans or the company. I want him at his best. I’ll beat him 10 out of 10 times.”
If Blaydes beats Ngannou he would seem like the next logical title challenger in the heavyweight division. He launched a social media campaign in an effort to fight for the belt after his last victory.
The UFC instead offered up a former foe for Blaydes. Although it’s far from what he wanted, a chance at redemption is a nice consolation. And either way, the first loss doesn’t get to him due to its result.
“It is a loss,” Blaydes said. “On my record, it’s a loss, but any loss that you don’t lose any sleep over is that one. It wasn’t the referee’s decision, it wasn’t the judge’s decision, it was the doctor.”
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