Things did not turn out well for rising UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes earlier today (Sat., Nov. 24, 2018) at UFC Fight Night 141 in Beijing, China, when he lost to Francis Ngannou via TKO just 44 seconds into the first round.
It was a rematch from their initial meeting back at UFC Fight Night 86 in 2016, which Ngannou also won via TKO (doctor’s stoppage).
Blaydes entered UFC Beijing riding a four-fight win streak in the unpredictable heavyweight division, including recent finishes over former title challenger Alistair Overeem and streaking submission specialist Alexey Oleynik. While this knockout defeat is undoubtedly a setback for the previously red-hot contender, Blaydes isn’t losing focus during this time of reflection.
Below is the message “Razor” delivered to his fans just a few hours following his loss to Ngannou:
Took one on the chin tonight, I will be back with the same confidence #sometimesyourthenail #minorsetback #tooyoungtostopnow
— Curtis Blaydes (@RazorBlaydes265) November 24, 2018
“Took one on the chin tonight,” wrote Blaydes. “I will be back with the same confidence.”
At just 27 years of age, Blaydes remains an integral part of the UFC heavyweight division’s future. With so many former top contenders such as Junior dos Santos, Mark Hunt, Andrei Arlovski, and the aforementioned Overeem losing their divisional footing one way or another, the promotion is going to rely on “Razor” to return to form and regain momentum early next year.
At the end of the day, few heavyweights are able to stomach the power of Ngannou. Blaydes got caught and he wasn’t able to recover. Seems like par for the course when “Predator” starts winging his legendary hands.
Source : mmamania
