Tag: Curtis Blaydes

Curtis Blaydes Confirms Reports That UFC Prematurely Leaks Fight News

The UFC’s rumored practice of leaking fight announcements prior to contracts being signed has been confirmed by Curtis Blaydes. The dubious tactic has long been suspected by some in the industry, most notably Ariel Helwani, who last month wrote about the subject to his Substack followers. “I’m happy that some of y’all are finally starting […]

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The UFC’s rumored practice of leaking fight announcements prior to contracts being signed has been confirmed by Curtis Blaydes.

The dubious tactic has long been suspected by some in the industry, most notably Ariel Helwani, who last month wrote about the subject to his Substack followers.

“I’m happy that some of y’all are finally starting to figure out that the UFC “leaks” news to reporters before fighters agree to bouts. This is not cool. Why do they do this? Well, sometimes it’s to put pressure on fighters. Sometimes it’s just careless. Sometimes it’s because they are afraid another outlet or reporter is going to get it first, so they jump the gun. Either way, it’s not right and we all need to be better when it comes to reporting this stuff,” Helwani wrote. 

In an interview with MMANews this week, Blaydes spoke of his personal experience with the long-rumored practice. When asked if any of his fights have leaked prior to signing the contract, Blaydes revealed that’s exactly what happened with his most recent bout against Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 266.

“Yeah, I didn’t get the contract for this last fight until a month out,” said Blaydes. “We knew about this since June. So yeah, that happens a lot, actually. I hear guys in the gym all the time, ‘Yeah, I didn’t get the contract yet.’ I’m like, ‘Oh, well, don’t worry. It’s on the way’ Sometimes they just drag a little ass. I don’t know why. But yeah, that does happen.”

Curtis Blaydes calls UFC 225
Curtis Blaydes (Photo: Dylan Buell/Zuffa)

Curtis Blaydes Speaks to MMANews About UFC 266 Win And Possible Next Opponent

Blaydes is now very much back in the heavyweight title contention picture after defeating Rozenstruik last month. The unanimous decision victory came after a devastating KO loss to Derek Lewis in February, which ended Blaydes’ four-fight win streak.

Had “Razor” won that fight, he would have surely gone on to face Ciryl Gane for the interim title. But as the youngest of the top five heavyweights at 30 years old, Blaydes has plenty of time to mount another run at the title, and he seems to have all the tools to one day become champ.

Watch our full interview with Curtis below to hear his thoughts on that UFC 266 victory, the Jon Jones arrest, teammate Cory Sandhagen’s interim title shot, and his plans for a return to the Octagon in 2022.

What do you think about the UFC’s practice of prematurely leaking fight news?

Continue Reading Curtis Blaydes Confirms Reports That UFC Prematurely Leaks Fight News at MMA News.

Blaydes: Whoever Jon Jones Is Hanging Out With Are Not Good Friends

UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes has given his take on Jon Jones’ latest arrest, suggesting he needs to re-evaluate the people he has around him. Jones’ concerning incarceration occurred just hours after an appearance at the delayed 2020 Hall of Fame induction ceremony. At the event, which took place in Las Vegas ahead of last month’s […]

Continue Reading Blaydes: Whoever Jon Jones Is Hanging Out With Are Not Good Friends at MMA News.

UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes has given his take on Jon Jones’ latest arrest, suggesting he needs to re-evaluate the people he has around him.

Jones’ concerning incarceration occurred just hours after an appearance at the delayed 2020 Hall of Fame induction ceremony. At the event, which took place in Las Vegas ahead of last month’s UFC 266 pay-per-view, “Bones” was added to the Fight Wing for his memorable first clash with Alexander Gustafsson at UFC 165 in 2013.

Soon after the ceremony, the former UFC Light Heavyweight Champion was taken into custody and charged with battery domestic violence and injuring and tampering with a vehicle.

Since news of Jones’ latest transgression emerged, a number of fighters and pundits have given their take on the reported crimes that the former UFC pound-for-pound #1 committed. The latest to do so is heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes.

In an interview with MMA News’ James Lynch, “Razor” Blaydes suggested Jones needed to change a number of variables in his life that have likely contributed to his frequent run-ins with the law. The #4-ranked heavyweight believes that, along with refraining from consuming alcohol, Jones needs to adjust the group of friends he has around him.

“It’s hard to watch. He could be the LeBron of MMA, but he just had all the legal issues. And that’s even without the PEDs, he’s had some major legal issues. And I think it’s the alcohol. I think he probably needs to remove alcohol from his life, which is not for me to tell him. That’s just what I think. And I think he needs a better group of homies. Like, whoever he’s hanging out with, they are not good friends. If I’m hanging out with Jon Jones in Vegas, ‘Bro, we’re going home at 11:30. You can’t be out. Because I can’t even give you the benefit of the doubt. We’re going home.’”

Catch our full exclusive interview with UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes below:

In 2020, Jones announced that he’d be vacating the 205-pound gold in order to pursue a move to heavyweight. Prior to his arrest, “Bones” revealed that he was targeting his divisional debut for the second-quarter of 2022. It remains to be seen how his UFC status will be affected by his latest troubling offence.

Do you agree with Curtis Blaydes’ take on Jon Jones’ latest arrest?

Continue Reading Blaydes: Whoever Jon Jones Is Hanging Out With Are Not Good Friends at MMA News.

Curtis Blaydes Names His One Regret From UFC 266 Victory

Looking ahead to his next obstacle, Curtis Blaydes had one regret after UFC 266 when he was fighting Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The two heavyweights met on the marquee pay-per-view last weekend and were the second fight on the main card. Prior to his UFC 266 match-up, Blaydes recently suffered a painful setback to Houston’s Derrick Lewis […]

Continue Reading Curtis Blaydes Names His One Regret From UFC 266 Victory at MMA News.

Looking ahead to his next obstacle, Curtis Blaydes had one regret after UFC 266 when he was fighting Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

The two heavyweights met on the marquee pay-per-view last weekend and were the second fight on the main card. Prior to his UFC 266 match-up, Blaydes recently suffered a painful setback to Houston’s Derrick Lewis when the two met back in late February.

Prior to his knockout loss to “The Black Beast,” Blaydes was running through the heavyweight division. Following the unfavorable results, the American still believes he would beat Lewis 9 out of 10 times despite the knockout. The 30-year-old was on a four-fight winning streak before meeting Lewis. With a renewed desire to get his hand raised, the wrestling-centric heavyweight stuck to the game plan and nullified “Bigi Boy” for the vast majority of their contest.

Discussing his performance on social media, Curtis Blaydes revealed that he had regrets for not pursuing the finish further at UFC 266 against Rozenstruik.

“Not every fight is gonna be fireworks, sometimes you’ve gotta take what your opponent gives you and make the smart descions. I’m happy with the W but Myself and my team know what I’m capable of and I should’ve found a finish in that 3rd round. We’ll get back to work soon and begin ironing out the kinks and be ready for the next obstacle. #ufc #razorblaydes #heavyweight #backinthewinnerscircle” Blaydes posted.

The heavyweight admits he should have gone after the finish more aggressively in the third round. However, during the contest, the right eye of Blaydes began to swell shut which made it even more difficult to mount a powerful offense.

Following his win against the Suriname native, Blaydes proceeded with a few different names to call out. In his post-fight interview, “Razor” took aim at the winner/loser of the potential fight between Francis Ngannou and Ciryl Gane, and also named Stipe Miocic and Jon Jones as possible opponents.

Who would you like to see Curtis Blaydes fight next?

Continue Reading Curtis Blaydes Names His One Regret From UFC 266 Victory at MMA News.

Curtis Blaydes Wrestles To Victory Over Jairzinho Rozenstruik – UFC 266 Results

Curtis BlaydesNext up, we have a heavyweight matchup between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Curtis Blaydes. Rozenstruik is coming off a fantastic knockout over Augusto Sakai. The only two losses of his career are from Francis Ngannu and Ciryl Gane. On the other side, Curtis Blaydes is coming off a devastating KO loss on behalf of a Derrick […]

Curtis Blaydes

Next up, we have a heavyweight matchup between Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Curtis Blaydes.

Rozenstruik is coming off a fantastic knockout over Augusto Sakai. The only two losses of his career are from Francis Ngannu and Ciryl Gane. On the other side, Curtis Blaydes is coming off a devastating KO loss on behalf of a Derrick Lewis uppercut.

Round 1: The two big heavyweights start off in the middle. Rozenstruik hits a clean combo to start it off. Blaydes is trying to establish his jab early. Blaydes shoots and trips Rozenstruik off the cage. He works in side control and lands a few short elbows. Rozenstruik hits a few elbows of his own off the bottom. Blaydes lands a few knees to Rozenstruik’s side. Blaydes gets a few right hands in and takes Rozenstruik back. Blaydes hits 3 rights in a row. Rozenstruik gets back up against the cage by controlling Blaydes’s wrist. Blaydes continues to switch stances and work leg kicks. Rozenstruik hits a few body strikes with a left and a right. Blaydes continues to work off his jab from both stances. Rozenstruik tries closing the distance but is struggling to reach Blaydes with a powerful punch.

Round 2: The two fighters start in the middle again. Rozenstruik hits a left-right combo on Blaydes. Blaydes continues to work the jab. Boos rain down as the two eyes each other up in the middle of the octagon. Blaydes lands a leg kick and Rozenstruik answers back with a left. Blaydes hit a left straight that gets Rozenstruik attention a bit. There is mutual respect from the two fighters as they are tentative to push too fast in fear of getting caught. Rozenstruik lands a huge flying knee with a left hand behind it. Blaydes scores a takedown to retaliate and passes into half guard. Blaydes hits Rozenstruik with a few body shots while his forearm is driven into Rozenstruik’s neck. Blaydes finishes the round in half guard. Blaydes eye is swollen completely shut from the knee.

Round 3: The third round starts off with another stalemate of mutual respect. Both fighters are working their jab. Blaydes from southpaw Rozenstruik from an orthodox stance. Blaydes hits a nice counter left hook after Rozenstruik tried a right hook and missed. Blaydes continues to work the leg kick and scores another takedown. Blaydes is working landing strikes from the full guard of Rozenstruik. Rozenstruik had a quick second to get up but didn’t take advantage. Blaydes advances to half guard. Blaydes then lands a few short left elbows on the side of Rozenstruik’s head. Blaydes has over 5 minutes of control time with 1 minute left to go in the round. Blaydes continues to work in the half guard and the horn sounds.

Official Result: Curtis Blaydes def. Jairzinho Rozenstruik via unanimous decision (30-27 X3)

EXCLUSIVE | Jairzinho Rozenstruik Plans To Be ‘Faster, First & Victorious’ Against Curtis Blaydes

Jairzinho RozenstruikJairzinho Rozenstruik is dead set on making it two wins in a row when he squares off against Curtis Blaydes on September 25. ‘Bigi Boy’ returned to the win column last time out with an impressive first-round TKO of Augusto Sakai. Prior to that, the 33-year-old disappointingly slumped to an uneventful decision defeat against Ciryl […]

Jairzinho Rozenstruik

Jairzinho Rozenstruik is dead set on making it two wins in a row when he squares off against Curtis Blaydes on September 25.

‘Bigi Boy’ returned to the win column last time out with an impressive first-round TKO of Augusto Sakai.

Prior to that, the 33-year-old disappointingly slumped to an uneventful decision defeat against Ciryl Gane.

Blaydes is coming off a disappointing defeat of his own. ‘Razor’ started well in his last fight but was caught clean and knocked out by Derrick Lewis back in February.

In a recent interview with LowKickMMA, Rozenstruik revealed he watches every UFC heavyweight fight. The former kickboxer appears to be drawing confidence from his viewings of Blaydes’ most recent loss.

“I don’t care who wins but I take a lot of things from that fight,” Rozenstruik said. “I watch all the heavyweight fights, it doesn’t matter if the guys are ranked or not. I’m watching all the heavyweight fights and I take a lot of things from that fight. I try to see where the mistakes are made and how other fighters, we get on the mistakes.

“Curtis ended on the bad side of the fight,” Rozenstruik added. “So, you can see he’s not perfect and as the last fight with Ciryl Gane and Derrick (Lewis), it shows the same thing.

The UFC title contender understands that at heavyweight all it takes is one punch for your fight and night to come to a devastating end.

“So, it is MMA. It is the heavyweight division. If you got punched in the face, the fight can be over,” Rozenstruik concluded. “So, I’m preparing myself to be faster, to be first, and to be victorious the September 25th.”

Do you think Jairzinho Rozenstruik will emerge victorious from his fight with Curtis Blaydes on September 25?

Curtis Blaydes Reacts To Interim UFC Title Bout Between Lewis & Gane

Curtis Blaydes discusses the interim title showdown between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane.
Continue Reading Curtis Blaydes Reacts To Interim UFC Title Bout Between Lewis & Gane at MMA News.

Curtis Blaydes discusses the interim title showdown between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane.

Continue Reading Curtis Blaydes Reacts To Interim UFC Title Bout Between Lewis & Gane at MMA News.