Curtis Blaydes shares powerful message for people with speech impediments, says stutter "not because of CTE"
Curtis Blaydes wants people suffering from speech impediments not to succumb to the naysayers who try to make fun of them. The UFC heavyweight hopes that they will take inspiration from his success and chase their dreams.
Blaydes suffers from a speech impediment. While many confuse this as a result of recurring head trauma from MMA, that is far from the case. During a media event in the lead-up to UFC 304, 'Razor' said:
"It was my dad, he has a speech impediment also. I got it from him, it's hereditary. It's not because of CTE. Let's get that out there. I know, I get asked that the most."
The MMA fighter further revealed that his daughter also suffered from the same condition. While he fears the quips and ridicule she might have to face from her peers, he wants people suffering from similar situations to not give in to the mockery.
While in high school, Blaydes had to endure constant jibes from his peers, which often became a hurdle in his learning process.
During media day, the 33-year-old called for people who suffer from similar conditions to not give power to the ill-wishers but follow his example and chase their dreams:
"I just want those people that also have a speech impediment to know that if people are laughing at you, it doesn't mean anything about you, it means a whole lot about more them and their character... Hope you can look at me and see that you can do whatever you want to do. Like if you want to be a police officer, my dad's a cop... if you want to be whatever, teacher, astronaut, you can, it's just a speech impediment."
Catch Curtis Blaydes' comments below:
Curtis Blaydes details his path to victory against Tom Aspinall
Curtis Blaydes is hoping to claim Tom Aspinall's interim title in the co-main event at UFC 304. Naturally, 'Razor' has a simple but effective plan set in place to deal with the hard-hitting Brit.
Blaydes is one of the most prolific grapplers in the heavyweight division and aims to take the fight to the ground as soon as he can. Talking to Anthony Smith about how he sees the fight transpiring, he said:
"Me on top. Probably bouncing from half-guard to side control to half-guard [to] side control, looking for damage. If he gets up, he gets up. But I'm going to make sure he earns it. Give him something heavy on the way out and rinse and repeat."
Check out Curtis Blaydes' comments below (5:20):