5 reasons why Curtis Blaydes is the UFC's most underrated heavyweight

Is Curtis Blaydes the most underrated heavyweight in the UFC?

This weekend sees Curtis Blaydes take on Chris Daukaus in the headline bout of the UFC’s latest Fight Night event. With a win, ‘Razor’ could well find himself back in heavyweight title contention.

Curtis Blaydes might not be the most popular heavyweight fighter on the UFC roster, but is there an argument that he’s the division’s most underrated combatant?

Razor Blaydes is in the building 📸

[ @RazorBlaydes265 | #UFCColumbus | Saturday | LIVE on @ESPN ] https://t.co/SsgDViPUco

The answer is almost certainly yes, as Blaydes remains one of the most dangerous big men in the promotion. At his best, he has the ability to beat any heavyweight.

Here are five reasons why 'Razor' Blaydes is the UFC’s most underrated heavyweight fighter.

#5. Curtis Blaydes is still very young for a heavyweight

At the age of 31, Blaydes may well be yet to reach his prime

Over the years, the UFC’s heavyweight division has become known as a country for old men of sorts. That isn’t an insult, of course. It simply seems to be a fact that bigger fighters take longer to mature and, perhaps due to their slower speed, can fight for longer than their smaller counterparts.

Right now, for instance, the heavyweight division’s top ten features a number of older fighters, including Stipe Miocic (39 years old), Derrick Lewis (37) and Marcin Tybura (36). Even reigning champion Francis Ngannou is set to turn 36 in September.

That means that at the age of just 31, Curtis Blaydes probably hasn’t even hit his prime yet, despite being a major player in the heavyweight division since his debut in the octagon in 2016.

For comparison’s sake, at the same age, Miocic had just five UFC bouts to his name, while Ngannou had only just taken out his first high-end opponent in the form of Andrei Arlovski.

Blaydes, on the other hand, has already had 14 bouts in the octagon and holds major wins over a former UFC champion in Junior dos Santos, as well as other standouts like Alistair Overeem and Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

🔪 @RazorBlaydes265 best finishes - a 🧵

[ #UFCColumbus | Saturday | LIVE on @ESPN ] https://t.co/0xYviPwnlO

Essentially, then, based on his age, it’s quite probable that Blaydes is only going to get better. When you consider how good his skills already are, it’s safe to say that he’ll probably be a title contender for some time – despite some fans underrating him.