Tag: UFC 304

Curtis Blaydes sees no issue with Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall believing his own hype, as a select few have suggested.

The pair of hard-hitting behemoths are set to run it back in the co-headliner of this weekend’s UFC 304 pay-per-view event, with Aspinall putting his interim title on the line at the Co-op Live arena in his home city of Manchester, England.

The Brit captured the belt with a thunderous and quick knockout of Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 inside Madison Square Garden last November. That result has unsurprisingly given Aspinall a major boost in confidence, especially given the circumstances he competed under on the night.

Since then, Aspinall has called for a unification showdown with Jon Jones and received plenty of flak from the champ, who has branded his interim counterpart a possible “hype train” and irrelevant to audiences outside of the United Kingdom.

But while Jones and his supporters have branded Aspinall overconfident, the Englishman’s upcoming opponent has leapt to his defense…

Blaydes: ‘Nothing Wrong’ With Aspinall Drinking His Own Kool-Aid

During an interview with ESPN MMA’s Andreas Hale, Blaydes looked ahead to his first opportunity to capture gold on MMA’s biggest stage and assessed some of the narratives flying around the heavyweight title picture.

“Razor” was specifically asked about talk of Aspinall’s potential and the belief held by the likes of Jones that the interim titleholder may be buying into his own hype too much.

Blaydes insisted only those close to Aspinall would know if that’s true, and even if it is, he pointed out that there is nothing wrong with elite athletes claiming to be the best. In fact, he suggested that level of self-belief is a must.

“I mean, I can’t say as to whether he is or he isn’t (drinking his own Kool-Aid). I don’t think anybody would be able to tell that besides people in his own inner circle,” Blaydes said. “But if he is, can you really blame him? Like, he knocked out Sergei and Jon seems — I don’t want to say scared, but he seems apprehensive about the prospect of potentially fighting Aspinall.

“I would be a little gassed up also. Ain’t nothing wrong with that,” Blaydes continued. “I think you have to have that mindset. You’ve got to be feeling yourself. That goes for any sport. Like, if you ask Joe Burrow right now if he thinks he’s the best in the league in his position, he’ll say yeah. Even though we probably wouldn’t agree, he has to think that way.”

Nevertheless, Blaydes will look to show that the interim champ’s confidence regarding their own matchup is misplaced when they share the Octagon for the second time at UFC 304 this weekend.

Having had a win over Aspinall added to his record in 2022 courtesy of a freak knee injury suffered by the Brit, “Razor” will look to add a more definitive triumph to his résumé at UFC 304.

You can't sleep on the power of @RazorBlaydes265

He plans to leave #UFC304 with the interim heavyweight title! pic.twitter.com/Fwb6pcNvFs

— UFC (@ufc) July 23, 2024

• Read More: Dan Hardy Honest About Curtis Blaydes Fight At UFC 304: ‘There Are A Few Questions To Ask Around Tom Aspinall…’

Continue Reading Curtis Blaydes Defends UFC 304 Opponent Tom Aspinall Against Overconfident Claims: ‘Can You Really Blame Him?’  at MMA News.

Dan Hardy asserts that Curtis Blaydes has the potential to truly challenge Tom Aspinall and push him into deep waters with his elite wrestling skills at UFC 304.

“Razor” is poised to challenge Aspinall for his interim heavyweight title in a rematch, set as the co-main event of UFC’s upcoming pay-per-view. This showdown is scheduled to electrify the Co-op Live arena in Manchester, England, this weekend.

Tom Aspinall vs Curtis Blaydes 2!

The first of TWO title fights at #UFC304 this Saturday pic.twitter.com/PAM0ujFYc2

— UFC Europe (@UFCEurope) July 22, 2024

Blaydes secured a TKO victory against Aspinall in their initial encounter during the main event of UFC Fight Night London in July 2022 after the Brit suffered a sudden knee injury just 15 seconds into the bout.

Although the American is one-up on his former opponent, Aspinall is widely regarded as the heavy favorite against Blaydes and is expected to finish him.

Aspinall’s strengths lie in his striking and knockout power, while Blaydes relies on his wrestling prowess. If Blaydes can bring the fight to the ground, he might dominate—a scenario that “The Outlaw” envisions unfolding on July 27…

Hardy Views Blaydes’ Wrestling As ‘Interesting Test’ For Aspinall

During a recent interview with Submission Radio, Hardy previewed the upcoming rematch between Aspinall and Blaydes. The PFL head of fighter operations noted that while the interim titleholder holds an advantage over “Razor,” he could face significant challenges if Blaydes successfully imposes his wrestling dominance.

“There are a few questions to ask around Tom Aspinall,” Hardy said. “We’ve seen various different parts of his game. We know how well-rounded he is, but if we’re breaking mixed martial arts down into three components, if you’ve got the grappling on the floor, you’ve got the wrestling in the middle, and then you’ve got the striking at distance, we know Tom is really good at two aspects of that.

“We know that Curtis Blaydes is very good at the wrestling portion—the middle piece, the bit that holds it all together. And you know there’s no doubt that someone with the wrestling experience of Curtis Blaydes is going to be able to get the better of Tom Aspinall in a straight wrestling match.”

The former UFC welterweight fighter added that Aspinall should leverage his own strengths and avoid letting the fight go to the ground.

“Tom on the feet is going to be a lot quicker than most people that Curtis Blaydes had to deal with. And I also think one of the factors as well for Tom is his ability to strike in the clinch very quickly—you know, elbows to knees and vice versa when he’s defending takedowns are going to be really, really useful for him. It’s an interesting test for Tom. I think a lot of people have got their eyes on this as if it’s the real heavyweight championship.”

• Read More: VIDEO: UFC 304 Countdown Episode Ahead Of Leon Edwards vs. Belal Muhammad 2 & Tom Aspinall vs. Curtis Blaydes 2

Continue Reading Dan Hardy Honest About Curtis Blaydes Fight At UFC 304: ‘There Are A Few Questions To Ask Around Tom Aspinall…’ at MMA News.