Heavyweight Dark Horse Declares Himself Jon Jones’ Biggest Threat

Getty Curtis Blaydes

No. 4 ranked UFC heavyweight fighter Curtis “Razor” Blaydes believes he holds all the tools necessary to challenge Jon Jones for the heavyweight crown. Blaydes told MMAFighting that he has “all the things you need to match up with a talent like Jon Jones.”

With a victory over Sergei Pavlovich on April 22, Blaydes could push himself into the position of title challenger, and tackle whoever remains victorious in the rumored matchup between Jones and Stipe Miocic later this year.

‘The Odds Are in My Favour’: Curtis Blaydes Breaks Down Fantasy Jones Fight

“I have the size, I have the wrestling, I have the athleticism, I have the speed, I have the agility,” Blaydes told MMAFighting. “I have all the things you need to match up with a talent like Jon Jones.

“I know he has the reach, his arms are longer than my reach,” Blaydes comments on Jones’ supernormal 84.5″ arm span. “I would have to find a way to [get in range] and I might have to use elbows. I might have to get in the clinch but I believe I could get him down. I believe once I take anyone down, the odds are in my favor.”

Since his debut in 2016, Blaydes has been on the brink of UFC’s heavyweight elite. Despite losing in his UFC debut to Francis Ngannou, Blaydes rallied with a five-fight win streak. However, he stumbled in his rematch with Ngannou and missed out on a chance for title contention.

Another opportunity slipped away when he was knocked out by Derrick Lewis in February 2020, costing him a shot at the interim heavyweight championship. But with three recent victories over Jairzinho Rozenstruik, Chris Daukaus, and Tom Aspinall, Blaydes is once again poised for title contention. This time, his sights are set on Jon Jones.

Blaydes is a boxer-wrestler and was an accomplished collegiate wrestler before considering MMA. He was undefeated at 44-0 and won a state title in his senior year of high school. Blaydes earned himself a wrestling scholarship at Northern Illinois University, after winning the NJCAA National Championship at Harper College as a sophomore.

Curtis Blaydes Weighs in on Jones vs Miocic

In an interview with DAZN, Blaydes broke down his opinion on Jones vs. Miocic, “It’s hard, the best version of him is when he’s at range …. I think he’d do best to force the clinch, Blaydes explained. “I think [Jones is] one of the best elbowers in MMA, regardless of weight class. I think he could really do damage there. But you [have to] get past Stipe’s [boxing] and Stipe’s wrestling.

“I think he could either be really far out or really close. Anywhere in the middle is no good.”

“I would favor Jon,” Blaydes explained to Lowkick MMA, where he discussed who he would consider the favorite in the hypothetical matchup, “He’s more active on the feet. You have to worry about a lot more. [Miocic], I still think he hits harder. I think he has legitimate heavyweight power. I think he hits harder than [Jones]”