MIAMI – Curtis Blaydes understands the comparisons between him and UFC 299 opponent Jailton Almeida, but he thinks the similarities end outside of the grappling department.
“That’s the beauty of being multifaceted,” Blaydes told MMA Junkie and other reporters at a pre-fight news conference Wednesday. “I don’t have one path to victory. I can win on the feet. I can grapple. I’ve always shown I have the power to knock guys out. I’m very confident I will be able to out-show him on the feet.”
Blaydes (17-4 MMA, 12-4 UFC) and Almeida (20-2 MMA, 6-0 UFC) were supposed to compete in November in Brazil. However, Blaydes withdrew due to two ankle injuries. He watched closely on fight night as Almeida dragged replacement Derrick Lewis all over the canvas.
Despite the dominant performance, Blaydes recognizes the things that were not on display. Blaydes said Almeida’s strict focus on grappling reminds him of a former UFC welterweight title challenger.
“He did what I thought he was going to do, take him down,” Blaydes said. “I didn’t think he’d want to hang out on the feet at all. He hasn’t really shown anything with footwork and hands. He’s a traditional jiu-jitsu guy. He’s like a heavyweight version of Demian Maia.”
The perceived flaw in Almeida is not unique to just him, according to Blaydes, who sees the heavyweight division as a whole struggling handily with takedowns.
“It’s a lot of guys,” Blaydes said. “A lot of guys at heavyweight find one skill and they’re like, ‘Oh, that works.’ They don’t grow. They don’t expand on it. Why would they? He had so much success. I don’t think he’s going to come out and, oh, he’s going to want to strike now. Just like you said, the teep into the blast double leg, it works because these other heavyweights have never sprawled in their life. I sprawl all the time. I guess we’ll see.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 299.
