Curtis Blaydes took to social media to reveal his game-plan but how would his ‘leaked’ strategy fair against Alexander Volkov.
The 29-year-old has a well established wrestling career which saw him attain a full scholarship to Northern Illinois University in 2009.
‘Razor’ has developed his striking since transitioning to Mixed Martial Arts to the UFC training out of Elevation Fight Team; but the heavyweight plans to utilise his roots to earn the win over his Russian foe.
His tweet informed the audience who were set to watch a scrap this coming Saturday of his intentions, which revealed a rather confusing yet intriguing plan to ignore ‘stand up’ and focus on ‘ragdolling’ his opponent.
Blaydes is a well-rounded martial artist boasting an impressive 11 wins coming via TKO with victories over Alistair Overeem and Junior Dos Santos coming following exchanges on the feet.
However, with an average takewdown of 6 per every 15-minutes the Chicago native has utilised this game-plan on more than one occasion to manhandle opponents while unleashing a vicious ground and pound forcing the referee to step in.
One issue Blaydes may have overseen is the ‘takedown defence’ that Volkov boasts, which stands at an incredible 76% - this with Fabricio Werdum on his resume, even taking the Brazilian down on two occasions.
This bout makes for an interesting pairing with both men well versed on the feet – and while one of the UFC Main event pairing decided to post a spoiler – whether he can execute his plan could be a different story.
Crossroads Curtis
Blaydes will enter the octagon ranked #3 in the UFC Heavyweight rankings – with just two losses on his record both to Francis Ngannou – a fight where he tried to impose a similar strategy as suggested against Volkov but was caught by The Predator’s lethal striking.
Should the former NJCAA All-American be victorious over Volkov on Saturday night, it is unlikely he would climb higher than his current position and his desire for a title opportunity may come at a much later date.
The current Champion Stipe Miocic has already put pen-to-paper to square off against no.1 contender and former champion Daniel Cormier on August 15 – with Ngannou ready to step in should any fighter fall to injury, according to Dana White.
While not clarified, it is expected that the winner of the championship would then certainly face the Cameroonian at a later date, possibly late Winter or maybe 2021– leaving Blaydes on the outside looking in.
Interesting opportunities do exist for Blaydes, should a long-wait for a title challenge not interest him with Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Walt Harris without a dance partner as of right now.
White has made clear his desire for potential title suitors to continue fighting to stand the best chance of making the step up to the plate should the opportunity present itself.
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