Curtis Blaydes breaks down potential fight against Ciryl Gane: “I think we match up great”
UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes broke down a potential fight against interim champ Ciryl Gane, saying “I think we match up great.”
Gane defeated Derrick Lewis at UFC 265 to become the new interim UFC heavyweight champion and earn himself a shot to unify the belt against Francis Ngannou. Lewis earned the title shot after he beat Blaydes, the No. 4 ranked heavyweight in the UFC, earlier this year. Had Blaydes won that fight instead, it’s possible that he would have been fighting for the belt instead of Lewis. But given that Blaydes is still a top-five ranked fighter in the UFC heavyweight division, should he pick up another big win or two, he could find himself back in the heavyweight title picture very soon.
Speaking to MMA reporter James Lynch in a recent interview, Blaydes was asked how he would match up against Gane in a future heavyweight battle. If you ask “Razor,” he matches up well against the new interim champ, suggesting he can match “Bon Gamin” on the feet, and then bully him on the ground with his grappling should the fight go there. See what Blaydes said below.
“I think we match up great. I’m willing to play the game. I’ll dance with him. We’ll go orthodox, southpaw, open stance. I’ll go kick for kick, punch for punch, and obviously, as always, I believe I’m the better grappler. So I’ve always got that in my back pocket,” Blaydes said.
Blaydes is next set to return to the Octagon in September at UFC 266 when he faces off against No. 6 ranked contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik, the man who Gane beat earlier this year. Should Blaydes go in there and defeat Rozenstruik, he will likely get a top-five ranked opponent next, and if he wins that fight, then it’s possible we could see Blaydes fighting for UFC gold in 2020.
How do you think a Curtis Blaydes vs. Ciryl Gane UFC heavyweight fight would play out?
