Curtis Blaydes is getting back inside the Octagon after almost a year at UFC 299 in the Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida. Blaydes had plenty to talk about the UFC heavyweight division and the one-dimensional nature of fighters. Amidst that, he even made comparisons of himself and his opponent Jailton Almeida with fighters from other divisions. Blaydes believes he is the Merab Dvalishvili of the heavyweight division.
Blaydes is well-known for his grappling style of fighting. However, he believes he is “multi-faceted” and has more than one path to victory. Initially, he compared Almeida with Damian Maia, former UFC welterweight title challenger, due to his focus on grappling. Blaydes opined that Almeida does not possess striking skills and is one-dimensional.
On the other hand, he claimed that he tried to model his style to Khabib Nurmagomedov. The former UFC Lightweight Champion is one of the best wrestlers in MMA. However, when it came to comparing himself with a UFC fighter from another division, he said, “I’m the heavyweight Merab. Without the gas tank though.”
Merab holds multiple records when it comes to grappling and takedowns including most takedowns attempted in a bout in UFC history (49), most takedowns landed in UFC bantamweight division history (66), and third most takedowns landed in UFC history (79).
Although it was bold of Blaydes to compare himself to Merab, he is not far behind. Like Merab, Blaydes holds the record for most takedowns in UFC heavyweight division history (62) and a single heavyweight fight (14).
Curtis Blaydes prefers to fight on the prelims card over the main card
Blaydes was initially set to main event a UFC Fight Night in Brazil in November 2023 against Almeida. However, Razor had to withdraw from the fight due to ankle injuries. He was replaced by Derrick Lewis and Almeida defeated Lewis via unanimous decision.
At UFC 299, Blaydes vs. Alemida takes place in the prelims card. Razor claimed he is happy to not be in the main card. He said, “I prefer to be on the prelims. I don’t want to be in there all day thinking about the fight.”
UFC 299 Fight Card 🏆 🏝️
Main Card:
Sean O’Malley (c) vs. Marlon Vera 2 for the UFC bantamweight title
Dustin Poirier vs. Benoit Saint Denis
Kevin Holland vs. Michael “Venom” Page
Gilbert Burns vs. Jack Della Maddalena
Petr Yan vs. Song YadongPrelims:
Curtis Blaydes vs.… pic.twitter.com/BBYQC7cXqS
— MMA UNCENSORED (@MMAUNCENSORED1) March 7, 2024
He claimed he would just go back to his hotel and rest after finishing his fight. When it comes to fighting in the main card, the fighters have to wait a long time for their turn.
Blaydes UFC 299 opponent Jailton Almeida disagrees with the Merab Dvalishvili comparisons
Soon after Blaydes took his leave, Almeida came in for his UFC 299 media day duties. The Brazilian was asked for his views on Blaydes’ comparisons. While the question was being translated to him, Almeida raised his eyebrows upon hearing the comparisons.
However, he was quick to ascertain that he was not one-dimensional. He claimed that he never got the opportunity to show off his striking skills. According to Almeida, if the opportunity does show up at UFC 299, he would not back down from putting his striking skills to use. Moreover, he believed his fighting style was closer to Merab’s than Blaydes but it will all be put to the test on Saturday.
