Curtis Blaydes promises to learn from the mistakes of UFC legends Ronda Rousey and Cain Velazquez
Curtis Blaydes says he will stick to his fighting style ahead of UFC Vegas 15 this Saturday. The UFC heavyweight title challenger will fight in the main card against former championship contender Derrick Lewis.
'Razor' Blaydes does not care if his fighting style is boring for the UFC fans. He wants to win; he wants the category's belt. Wrestling is what has helped Blaydes to succeed in 14 out of his 17 MMA fights so far. He has no plans of changing that.
"I think one of the biggest reasons why Cain Velazquez is not here anymore, in this sport, is because he listened to the fans, and he fought with his hands. He took wars he did not need to have. He could have easily taken guys down at will, but he chose to stand. It was his choice, good for him. But his hard hip paid the price."
Blaydes is someone who has no problem acknowledging his or other people's desires, qualities, and weaknesses. Recently, Blaydes has advised former UFC light heavyweight champion Jon Jones about Jones' idea of moving to the UFC heavyweight category.
Analyzing his fighting style, Blaydes prefers to keep the criticism of the fans out of the equation. The 'Razor' believes his new supporters won't be around for too long, nor will they care about him once he hangs up his gloves.
"My wrestling is a major, major part for my fans and my style. I don't want to be a broken-down old man in ten years because of 'stand up wars' that fans who won't care about me after I retire wanted me to do," said Blaydes.
Curtis Blaydes gives his opinion on why Cain Velazques and Ronda Rousey's careers are over
Curtis Blaydes' mindset is unchangeable. At least, that's how he wants people to perceive him. Talking about his next fight with Derrick Lewis, Blaydes gave the examples of former UFC champions Cain Velazquez and Ronda Rousey.
"So, I've learned from Velazquez; I've learned even from Ronda Rousey. I know she wasn't exactly a wrestler per se, but she was a grappler, a very, very prominent grappler," examined Blaydes.
Concerning the fight that saw Ronda Rousey defeated for the first time in her UFC career, Blaydes did not hold back his criticism of Rousey's choice to fight standing up against an opponent who had better control of those skills.
"Her advantage in that department was always pretty big. I think she allowed herself to be talked into these fan wishes," said Blaydes. "She could have arm-barred girls for another two years and kept her legacy going, but she wanted to strike with Holly Holm. Bad idea to strike Holly Holm; you will get headkicked."