In a span of seven months, Curtis Blaydes dismantled three top-10 opponents. He first stopped submission specialist Alexey Oleynik before dominating Mark Hunt, and last Saturday, he viciously put away Alistair Overeem.
Blaydes is 5-1-1 in the UFC, and the only blemish on his record was dished out by Francis Ngannou, the current No. 1 contender. That was his very first fight in the promotion. As he approaches title contention, here are five things you might not know about the Elevation Fight Team standout.
1. He has made clear his intentions for fighting.
Unlike other fighters who say they are in it to prove they are the best in the world and will take as many heads off as they can in the process, Blaydes has made it clear that it’s the monetary gains of fighting that drives him. But make no mistake; he is a hard worker who will stop at nothing to reach his full potential and be recognized for what he does. The point is, he is not the type who gets excited by getting punched in the face. It’s all professionalism for the wrestler from Chicago.
2. He’s not one to get into fights.
As already implied, Blaydes isn’t the aggressive type, claiming he never engaged in a fist fight with anyone growing up. Even when he was working as night club security, he only broke up fights and never participated in one. He even admitted that sparring doesn’t come easy for him as he is not comfortable hurting people. Quite a revelation from someone who has a reputation for knocking people silly.
3. He's a real homebody.
After a grueling training session, there is no place to go for Blaydes but home. He is a true homebody who prefers to stay indoors and play video games or watch Netflix. Sci-fi and fantasy movies are on the menu when he’s holding the remote.
4. He's loving it in the Mile-High City.
Blaydes is originally from Chicago but he is definitely loving the feel of Denver. One reason he likes it in Denver is the weather, plus the fact that he feels training at altitude, specifically with Elevation Fight Team, truly makes a difference.
5. He almost lent his skills and talent to the academe.
Blaydes claims that his career path was headed towards being a history teacher. Of course that’s before he heeded the call of wrestling, which became his stepping stone to mixed martial arts. He is an athlete by heart and always wanted to continue that type of lifestyle.