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At this point, the 27-year-old Blaydes (10-1 MMA, 5-1 UFC) isn’t sure what he’ll do. But on the pros-and-cons list of taking a fight, octagon history is filed under con.
“I remember a situation a few years ago when ‘Jacare’ (Souza), at middleweight, was in the exact same position I was in, and he had an option to wait or take another fight,” Blaydes told MMAjunkie Radio on Wednesday. “He decided to do the latter. He took another fight, against Yoel Romero, and he lost a tight split decision (at UFC 194). And he hasn’t sniffed the title since that day. So it’s something that I’ve been thinking about, too.”
“I feel like I deserve a title shot, based off my last couple of fights,” Blaydes said.
But he also believes that, with all this money on the line, “that doesn’t really mean anything to the UFC.”
“It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion, the (Cormier-Lesnar) fight is going to happen,” Blaydes said. “And I’ve already accepted it.”
“I’m willing to wait, because I have this feeling that the UFC – they don’t really want me to have the belt,” Blaydes said. “Because I don’t have the most exciting – my style isn’t the most fan-friendly. So I feel they would take every opportunity to not give me a title shot because they know my wrestling is the x-factor. If I have to, I will just take a guy down and ground and pound him for three rounds. Which, they’re right, is not the most exciting version of fighting. But it is the most effective, especially going against the heavyweights I have to go against. …
“So me taking another opponent and me winning, I don’t think they would even care about that. I feel like even if I called out Stipe (Miocic) and I won, they would probably give it to Cain Velasquez or, who knows, maybe even Jon Jones or maybe Junior Dos Santos. There’s so many other guys that I know the UFC would rather have as champion of the heavyweights.”
“I’m always going to do what I do best,” Blaydes said. “If the UFC doesn’t like it, or if the fans don’t like it, I guess the only option is for them to release me. Because I’m going to keep doing what I have to do to win. I’m not going to risk brain injuries to put on a show for people I don’t know.
“I feel like what happened to (featherweight champion) Max Holloway is what happens when you like to stand and bang. He had to pull out of UFC 226 due to concussion-like symptoms. I just feel like people don’t want to address it, but I’ve had this discussion with my coaches, with my roommates, other fighters. I think that’s a direct result of all the wars he’s had, all the heavy hits he’s eaten.”
https://mmajunkie.com/2018/07/curti...esnar-situation/amp?__twitter_impression=true
“I remember a situation a few years ago when ‘Jacare’ (Souza), at middleweight, was in the exact same position I was in, and he had an option to wait or take another fight,” Blaydes told MMAjunkie Radio on Wednesday. “He decided to do the latter. He took another fight, against Yoel Romero, and he lost a tight split decision (at UFC 194). And he hasn’t sniffed the title since that day. So it’s something that I’ve been thinking about, too.”
“I feel like I deserve a title shot, based off my last couple of fights,” Blaydes said.
But he also believes that, with all this money on the line, “that doesn’t really mean anything to the UFC.”
“It’s pretty much a foregone conclusion, the (Cormier-Lesnar) fight is going to happen,” Blaydes said. “And I’ve already accepted it.”
“I’m willing to wait, because I have this feeling that the UFC – they don’t really want me to have the belt,” Blaydes said. “Because I don’t have the most exciting – my style isn’t the most fan-friendly. So I feel they would take every opportunity to not give me a title shot because they know my wrestling is the x-factor. If I have to, I will just take a guy down and ground and pound him for three rounds. Which, they’re right, is not the most exciting version of fighting. But it is the most effective, especially going against the heavyweights I have to go against. …
“So me taking another opponent and me winning, I don’t think they would even care about that. I feel like even if I called out Stipe (Miocic) and I won, they would probably give it to Cain Velasquez or, who knows, maybe even Jon Jones or maybe Junior Dos Santos. There’s so many other guys that I know the UFC would rather have as champion of the heavyweights.”
“I’m always going to do what I do best,” Blaydes said. “If the UFC doesn’t like it, or if the fans don’t like it, I guess the only option is for them to release me. Because I’m going to keep doing what I have to do to win. I’m not going to risk brain injuries to put on a show for people I don’t know.
“I feel like what happened to (featherweight champion) Max Holloway is what happens when you like to stand and bang. He had to pull out of UFC 226 due to concussion-like symptoms. I just feel like people don’t want to address it, but I’ve had this discussion with my coaches, with my roommates, other fighters. I think that’s a direct result of all the wars he’s had, all the heavy hits he’s eaten.”
https://mmajunkie.com/2018/07/curti...esnar-situation/amp?__twitter_impression=true
