Curtis Blaydes has the chance to avenge the only loss of his pro career as he’s set to meet Francis Ngannou at UFC Beijing, according to a new report.
Curtis Blaydes appears to have a chance for vengeance coming up. As first reported by ESPN, Blaydes is being targeted for a rematch against Francis Ngannou later this year at UFC Beijing. The bout is the sequel to their 2016 meeting, where Ngannou handed Blaydes the only loss of his career — via doctor’s stoppage.
Ngannou is coming off the worst performance of his career, an absolute snoozefest against Derrick Lewis at UFC 226. The fight was critically panned and drew the ire of UFC President Dana White for its lack of action. The bulk of the blame went to Ngannou, who seemed uninterested in engaging throughout. Coming off the back of a title fight loss to Stipe Miocic, it created questions about the hulking heavyweight’s mental preparation.
Blaydes, meanwhile, has not lost since meeting Ngannou for the first time. His only blemish was a No Contest due to his win against Adam Milstead, due to Blaydes testing positive for marijuana. ‘Razor’ Blaydes has has defeated both Mark Hunt and Alistair Overeem of late, shooting him to the top of the heavyweight division. The Overeem fight, which saw him finish ‘The Reem’ with some nasty elbows, effectively put Blaydes on the map.
UFC Beijing, a.k.a. UFC Fight Night 141, takes place November 25, 2018 at the Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China.
