As much as it pains me to say this but Blaydes will likely TKO our boy. JDS just isn’t the same anymore and hasn’t been for quite some time
Does he? His striking is nowhere near the level of Cain or Stipe. JDS has only been finished by a head spike and bombs from the three hardest KO artists in the division. Blaydes doesn't appear to have any better of a chin. He was put out just as quickly by Ngannou and Hunt had him on wobbly legs.
Maybe not same as 2012, but he’s won 3 of his last 4, hasn’t he? Got tagged by Francis, as did Blaydes. Neither is his pace.
I recall him essentially dry humping Justin Willis for 3 rounds, but I believe he did it to humiliate him for insulting his wrestling. Otherwise, much like Chael he's always looking for that GnP.
I am SUPER pumped for this fight. It's the classic striker vs wrestler matchup but at the highest level and at the highest weight class. I think it comes down to whether Blaydes can take JDS down and control him consistently. If he can't, then does anyone really see Blaydes winning a striking battle with JDS lol? If he can, then Blaydes wins via decision or TKO. I personally think JDS wins just due to his TDD and ability to get back up. Stipe had issues wrestling JDS, and Cain had to use his striking and endless cardio to be able to use his wrestling. Blaydes shouldn't offer any striking threat to JDS. Blaydes also has a bad habit of being hit in the face. JDS via TKO in R1 or R2. But it's really a 50/50 fight.
Been a while since I've made any breakdowns, so I'm very rusty, and let me preface this by saying that I haven't watched tape on either man. I'm just going off memory from their last couple of fights. Junior remains sharp on the feet and is still quite dangerous, but his volume and killer instinct aren't really there anymore. He's very content with sitting back and admiring his work or just outright playing the counter fighter. That has been very clear in some of his fights (Ivanov and Rothwell being some clear examples of that), but it has only really bit him in the ass against guys who could match him on the feet. Either with power (Nguyo), technique (Overeem) or pressure (Stipe) which Curtis clearly lacks as he's a wrestler at heart, even though he does have the ability to cause damage if given the chance. A big thing to note here is that JDS almost always backs himself up towards the fence when pressured, something that Blaydes should have an easy time exploiting since he's constantly advancing. I can't remember a time where he wasn't trying to pressure an opponent off the top of my head, and only Francis and Hunt have been able to stun him. He remains quite durable, especially since he didn't seem that worse for wear in the rematch with Ngannou (early stop but I think Francis has his number), so Dos Santos will really have his hands full if he doesn't string together a combination that gets his respect. Curtis is basic on the feet, and he's at a speed disadvantage so it's not like he can't lose, but I think he's got the tools to negate Junior's best weapons. The blast double takes away the leg kicks, the pressure makes it awkward for him to let his hands go and the clinch will burn out the clock. Spoiler Ofc Junior winning wouldn't be shocking, but I got to go with the younger wrestler.
Always and forever supporting JDS, so have to go with him. JDS has amazing TDD, he has had tons of fights in UFC and its very rare for anyone to take him down, so it makes this fight very interesting
Damn from the looks of the first page, I wonder if I need to go back and rewatch Blaydes fights lol I was under the impression that he had some of the most brutal finishes from GnP in recent years?? I honestly had him in my top 3 right now for fighters you absolutely do not want on top of you ( no homo ) because of his wrestling, size, strength and GnP, specifically his elbows.
JDS has sneaky power, he might be able to catch Blaydes coming in, but if he doesn't, I think he'll get killed by the GnP. At his age, I'd probably put my money on Blaydes to take JDS down until he gets the finish, but it'll be interesting to see if JDS can use his superior boxing to land a shot to put Blaydes away. My pick would be Blaydes by TKO via GnP somewhere in the first three rounds.
If JDS hits him with an overhand right like Ngannou did, Blaydes goes out. Other than that we’ll have to see JDS’ takedown defense and ability to stand up. Either way, hope it’s a good fight.
I think Blaydes beats Senior Dos Santos pretty handily. Blaydes isn’t going to let JDS dictate the pace and where the fight is going to take place. JDS reminds me of Old man Arlovski a bit. He’s gotten sloppier, putting himself in bad positions... I don’t know why but he’s been boxing heavy in his training and instead of getting sharper and cleaner he seems to got backwards. Or that’s how I feel.
Junior's tdd is damn excellent, and even if taken down he doesn't stay there for long. So i assume he will keep this fight standing big most of the time and pick Curtis apart. Than again,its been long time since he fought a wrestler who is as big and strong as Curtis.70-30 for Junior imo
