MANCHESTER, England – The “interim” tag attached to the UFC 304 co-main event means nothing to Curtis Blaydes.
Blaydes takes on Tom Aspinall on Saturday at Co-op Live (ESPN+ pay-per-view), with a chance to claim the interim heavyweight championship. Unlike most interim title fights, this isn’t a new one, as Aspinall is defending the interim belt he claimed with a knockout of Sergei Pavlovich last November at UFC 295.
Why the UFC heavyweight division is currently in this state is simple: Jon Jones and Stipe Miocic are getting their way.
Jones was set to defend his undisputed heavyweight title at UFC 295 until suffering a torn pectoral muscle less than a month out, which prompted the UFC to create an interim title then that Aspinall won. The reason for Aspinall’s rare interim title defense now is because the UFC is committed to booking Jones vs. Miocic, which is expected to take place this November.
With Jones and Miocic openly talking about the end of their careers, Blaydes sees the legacy fight for what it is.
“Yes, this is the real belt in my mind. In my mind, Jones vs. Stipe is just their retirement fight,” Blaydes said Wednesday at UFC 304 media day. “Not to be rude, but they’re both one or two fights away (from retirement). More than likely, this is their get-the-bag-get-out fight, which is fine. That’s how I view it.”
As the fight draws near, UFC CEO Dana White has been boisterous in hyping up Jones as the current No. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world, despite the fact that he’s competed just once – a vacant heavyweight title win against Ciryl Gane at UFC 285 – in the past four years.
Blaydes isn’t surprised and also sees White’s screaming for what it is.
“This is Dana White, one of the greatest promoters in the world,” Blaydes said. “He knows how to add hype and market. That’s what he does. That’s his job, one of the best at it. I’m not shocked. I expect it actually. … He wants to squeeze that juice to the last drop, and he wants everyone to watch (Jones vs. Miocic).”
As far as Jones being considered the best pound-for-pound, Blaydes believes that just can’t be the case for one simple reason.
“You’ve got to be active,” Blaydes said. “This isn’t like a skill-based (title). This is an active (title). He hasn’t been that active. You can’t be the best if you’re not active.”
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 304.
