Curtis Blaydes had to pull out of a fight against Jailton Almeida due to an injury, but is now set to face him at UFC 299, expressing confidence in his abilities and stating that he doesn’t mind their match is on the prelims rather than the main card.
Curtis Blaydes had his heart set on squaring off with Jailton Almeida last November. But, a stubborn injury and a grueling training camp forced him to admit that fighting wasn’t the best move.
Learning this was tough. Blaydes had to accept that he’d be stepping into the ring with Almeida in a compromised state, more than the usual wear and tear fighters bear. After months of training, he had to bow out, and Derrick Lewis stepped in to face Almeida.
Blaydes told MMA Fighting, “You never want to potentially miss out on a chance to climb the rankings or make some money.” But he knew he wasn’t at full strength. He wasn’t just hurt; he was injured. It took him a while to accept that.
He got injured in June. He thought he could keep working out and rehabbing simultaneously, which was a mistake. It wasn’t until October that he realized this.
While Blaydes was out, Almeida dominated Lewis in a five-round showdown. It wasn’t the most thrilling main event ever. Most of the 25-minute match was on the mat, with Almeida repeatedly taking down Lewis and controlling him on the ground. But he never really threatened to finish the fight.
Almeida won, but Blaydes expected more from the highly-rated Brazilian. He said, “I’ll be honest, I wasn’t very impressed with the jiu-jitsu.” He thought Almeida would have a deeper bag of jiu-jitsu tricks. But he didn’t see anything that scared him. He thought Almeida would be like Fabricio Werdum. But he’s not Werdum.
Blaydes doesn’t fault Almeida for taking the path of least resistance in the UFC. He’s exploited those same weaknesses in the past. “That’s just the division. That’s what heavyweight is,” Blaydes said. He believes 90% of the division can’t defend takedowns because there aren’t many wrestlers. So, he thinks Almeida has been doing what he was doing.
“There’s a reason I have 60 something takedowns. It’s not hard to take down heavyweights — heavyweights that don’t know how to wrestle. He’s been taking advantage of heavyweights just like I was.”
Soon after that fight, the UFC rebooked the match between Blaydes and Almeida for UFC 299 on Saturday. Blaydes, one of the top wrestlers in the heavyweight division, poses problems for Almeida that Lewis couldn’t. That’s why this fight makes sense.
Blaydes said, “That’s the difference. I have options. I’m not just a power puncher. I’m not just a wrestler. I can strike and grapple, offensively and defensively. I believe in my jiu-jitsu. I’m a totally different matchup than Derrick Lewis was.”
He added, “It’s the only fight that made sense. I’m in the top five. I’ve been in the top five for like five years. I feel like I only fight people in the top five now. That’s where I am. You don’t get the easy ones anymore. You get top five guys and that’s it. I think it only made sense and I’m happy with the matchup.”
Despite both fighters being near the top of the heavyweight division rankings, Blaydes will face Almeida in the featured fight on the prelims at UFC 299, not the main card. Some fighters might feel slighted by this, but not Blaydes.
He’s been in this position before and he’ll likely be here again. He said about his prelim slot at UFC 299, “No [I don’t care] and honestly that stuff never really mattered to me.” He understands it’s a prestige thing, but he doesn’t care. The money’s the same whether he’s on the prelims or the main card. And he’s sure people will watch because they love heavyweights.