What is the next move for Curtis Blaydes after his loss to Derrick Lewis at UFC Vegas 19?

Coming into his bout against Derrick Lewis at UFC Vegas 19, Curtis Blaydes was riding a 4-fight win streak that included a highlight reel finish over Junior dos Santos and a 5-round mauling of Alexander Volkov. His game plan against Lewis was evident from the outset. In interviews, Blaydes stressed Lewis' lack of cardio, stating: "I don't think you associate Derrick Lewis and cardio together". His top heavy wrestling approach would have appeared to have been the kryptonite to Lewis' brawler style. 

In the 2-rounds that the fight lasted, Blaydes landed four-times as many shots as Lewis. While seeing some success in round one with his hands, Blaydes was unable to mix his combos and takedowns together, as Lewis was able to shrug off all 3 takedown attempts. The fight came to a brutal end in the second round when Blaydes shot in for a takedown that was timed perfectly by Lewis who landed a solid uppercut that shut Blaydes' lights out. Lewis, who was a +350 underdog provided easily one of the biggest upsets of the year and massively dents the title aspirations of Blaydes who has sat at the top of the pile for a long time now.

So, what is next for Curtis Blaydes?

The Heavyweight division has become more saturated than ever recently, with the arrivals of Jon Jones and the rise of Ciryl Gane who fights Jairzinho Rozenstruik at the end of the month. The current layout of the fight schedule at Heavyweight is something that Blaydes can take some comfort in, as there will be a plethora of opponents readily available once he is able to fight again. Blaydes also has youth on his side, having just turned 30 years old, he is certainly one of the younger fighters in the division. 

With information now being made public that Jon Jones' first fight at Heavyweight will be against the winner of Stipe Miocic and Francis Ngannou, Blaydes may well find himself as many as 3 to 4 fights away from a title shot. Given the rankings, Blaydes' best option may be to face the loser of Gane versus Rozenstruik, while the winner of that bout faces the loser of Miocic versus Ngannou. I can safely say there is likely little to no intrigue in a trilogy fight with Ngannou who has 2 TKO victories over Blaydes. A fight with Rozenstruik may appear more appealing to Blaydes, who can take courage from Alistair Overeem's fight with Surinamese fighter. Even though Overeem lost, he was able to control the majority of the fight with his grappling and wrestling, strengths that Blaydes has built his career on. 

A bout with Gane on the other-hand may be less appealing to Blaydes. Gane, who has exhibited proficiencies on the feet as an undefeated Muay Thai champion, as well as slick submission victories over Don'Tale Mayes and Raphael Pessoa is being touted as a future UFC champion. While we haven't seen Gane's wrestling credentials tested properly yet, Blaydes should be wary of the many weapons the Frenchman has in his arsenal. Blaydes, who is a Blue belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu has no submission victories on his record so it is difficult to assess what threat he would pose to Gane on the ground outside of his notorious ground and pound. 

Another potential avenue for Blaydes would be a rematch with Alexander Volkov who has looked revitalised since their bout at UFC Vegas 3. While Blaydes won the bout in dominant fashion, Volkov has since beefed up to 264lbs and scored 2 brutal wins over Walt Harris and Alistair Overeem. While this is a less likely route for Blaydes, it would still be interesting how a rematch would play out between the fighters. 

I think that we will likely see Blaydes face the loser of Gane and Rozenstruik. Blaydes may well find himself at the end of a long line of title challengers now after defeat to Lewis, but he has the skillset and youth to ensure that he gets a crack at the title in time! He will be back and more motivated than ever!

~ James Eakin

References: [Curtis Blaydes interview] "Curtis Blaydes: I don't think you associate Derrick Lewis and cardio together", TheMacLife. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5yEMDuyBzl&t=529s [Accessed Feb '21]

Image credits: [Centre] "Curtis Blaydes is a Complete Package", Steve Latrell. Available at: https://www.ufc.com/news/curtis-blaydes-complete-package [Accessed Feb '21]