UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes isn’t mincing words at all when it comes to facing Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Baku on Saturday.
He knows this fight does nothing for him other than get him a win and a check.
“This fight doesn’t help me at all. This guy’s unranked. I could knock him out with a flying knee. Doesn’t matter,” Blaydes told reporters on Wednesday.
“He’s a heavyweight. All heavyweights are a threat. That’s difference between heavyweight and all the other weight classes. You don’t have to be the most skilled, or the most explosive, or the most anything. Just swing. If you hit sometimes guys go to sleep.”
“I dont have an issue with him being unranked because it doesn’t affect my money. If I got paid less money to fight an unranked person I wouldn’t agree, but the money’s the same. I’ll take the money.”
Title talk always leads back to current heavyweight champion Jon Jones. Jones has been in the headlines and seemingly a thorn in the UFC’s side by playing a game of ‘will he, won’t he’ when it comes to defending the title. Blaydes sees the situation way simpler than most.
Fight, or vacate. That’s it.
“Him having a belt and refusing to fight (Tom) Aspinall it just halts the division. It makes it impossible for any of us to have any future projections. We need to get to the bottom of that,” he said.
“My answer: you strip him. It’s not that hard. Been done a bunch of times before. You strip him and if that pisses them off maybe that’ll get them the fight. If not he just retires. Which is alright also. He’s the GOAT. He doesn’t have to fight, but if he wants to hold on to that belt, he needs to fight.”
Watch the entire media day scrum with Curtis Blaydes above. He takes on Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Baku on Saturday.
