Curtis Blaydes has been a perennial top-five heavyweight for the most important a part of his UFC profession so there have been various curious seems to be when his subsequent battle was booked in opposition to relative unknown Rizvan Kuniev.
It’s to not say that Kuniev is an unskilled fighter however he’s making his UFC debut in opposition to Blaydes after two fights on The Contender Sequence, a single look within the PFL, and spending a yr on the shelf after he was suspended following a constructive drug take a look at for a number of steroids. Blaydes admits he didn’t know any of that as a result of he had by no means heard of Kuniev earlier than the UFC got here to him with that title as an opponent.
“I did [a double take] however like I all the time say, the cash’s the identical regardless if it’s Jon Jones or if it’s a debut man,” Blaydes informed MMA Preventing. “The cash’s the identical so I’ll all the time be down.
“I needed to Google him. I watched his battle on The Contender [Series], that’s actually the one battle of his I watched. He seems to be like your conventional heavyweight — swings heavy and hopes to knock you out early.”
As soon as Blaydes began doing his analysis he got here throughout Kuniev’s title for the suspension he confronted from the Nevada Athletic Fee after he examined constructive for a cocktail of banned substances. Kuniev was penalized after a drug take a look at found drostanolone, metenelone, boldenone, and 19-norandrosterone, that are all anabolic steroids, in his system.
Discovering that info may give somebody pause earlier than a battle however Blaydes didn’t lose any sleep over it.
“I heard about that additionally,” Blaydes stated about Kuniev’s suspension. “Who is aware of that may be a part of this. Possibly he has to get it out of his system however I heard about rumors like that about [Jailton] Almeida and I imply he’s very robust and he did have abilities, however roids will not be going to be the distinction. It’s not going to be sufficient.
“Even when he’s on some stuff, I don’t imagine it’s going to assist him along with his sprawling or assist him take a punch. I’m all proper with it, even when he’s on some stuff.”
Maybe the most important hazard on this battle is that Blaydes walks into UFC 313 as an amazing favourite to win based mostly not solely on his previous resume but additionally as a result of he’s going through an octagon rookie.
Meaning the expectations are excessive for Blaydes to tear by means of Kuniev however he realized a very long time in the past that simply because one thing is meant to occur doesn’t imply it’s going to occur.
“I feel that’s one of many advantages arising by means of wrestling,” Blaydes defined. “I’ve been on this place earlier than the place I used to be a junior in highschool, extremely ranked, No. 4 within the state, acquired some unknown dude. I went on the market messing round with him, took him down just a few occasions, let him up, I’m taking part in with my meals so to talk, after which acquired hit with a headlock and I acquired pinned by some unknown unranked heavyweight.
“After that, I’ve by no means approached something athletic like ‘Oh this dude’s a bum.’ He’s right here for a motive. He should have some kind of talent. I’m not going to not strategy him with the respect he deserves. He’s right here. He’s within the UFC. They’re not bringing in unskilled heavyweights. I’m approaching it as if he has the flexibility to beat me, which he does. That is heavyweight. It solely takes one sloppy haymaker and lights out.”
Whereas Blaydes didn’t get upset that the UFC supplied him a newcomer, he initially had his sights set on a distinct opponent.
Coming off a knockout loss to present interim heavyweight Tom Aspinall this previous July, Blaydes thought a showdown in opposition to Ciryl Gane was the battle that made essentially the most sense however he additionally didn’t get his hopes too excessive that may occur.
Blaydes has by no means thought of himself a trash talker and he doesn’t exit of his strategy to fire up bother however he’s acquired receipts to again up his perception that Gane has little interest in ever going through him.
“I usually don’t do that however he has turned [it down] — I’ve heard this from my administration talking with Hunter [Campbell], who does the contracts and negotiations for [heavyweights], he has turned me down 3 times over the previous 4 years,” Blaydes revealed. “I bear in mind I requested for him initially in 2021 and so they gave me Volkov. I wished him once more after that one and so they gave me Derrick Lewis. I’ve requested for him just a few occasions.
“Initially that’s the one I wished after the Aspinall battle. OK, I suppose I’ll go for Gane and he results in there with Volkov. I don’t suppose we’ll ever battle, sadly.”
As a lot because it bugs him that Gane seemingly has little interest in the battle, Blaydes understands the logic, at the least based mostly on the visuals of how he expects that matchup to play out.
“We perceive why,” Blaydes stated. “I am going on the market and I smash him, he loses loads marketability. The aura of the Frenchman who does all the flamboyant stuff. If you happen to see me go on the market and simply physique slam him on his head like 4 or 5 occasions and elbow him into oblivious, it type of removes the marketability. So I get it.
“It simply sucks as a result of I feel it will be an excellent battle for me. I beat him, that must be sufficient to get one other title shot. Beating the man I’m about to battle proper now, it’s arduous to say. He doesn’t have any worth as a reputation proper now. I don’t even know his title. Rizvan Kuniev? Proper now doesn’t have loads of title worth.”
Beating Kuniev won’t do a lot for him in the long term outdoors of incomes one other paycheck however Blaydes is proud that he didn’t scoff on the provide when the UFC got here calling.
He’s nowhere close to completed along with his profession however Blaydes holds his head up excessive figuring out when the day comes that he lastly hangs up his gloves that nobody can ever say he backed down from a battle.
“That’s a legacy I’ll brag about,” Blaydes stated. “I received’t brag in regards to the names. I’ll brag that I by no means stated no. By no means ever stated no.”
