Curtis Blaydes Vows to ‘Be Back with the Same Confidence’ Following UFC Beijing Defeat

Curtis Blaydes entered UFC Fight Night 141 with plenty of momentum, and a victory would have placed him squarely among the top contenders in the heavyweight division.

Instead the 27-year-old Elevation Fight Team representative saw a six-fight unbeaten streak come to an end in Beijing, as he fell to Francis Ngannou via technical knockout 45 seconds into the opening stanza in Saturday’s headliner at Cadillac Arena.

Ngannou floored Blaydes with a massive overhand right during an initial exchange and sealed the victory with a series of follow-up punches as his opponent unsuccessfully struggled to regain his bearings. Ngannou, who also defeated Blaydes via doctor stoppage in the American’s promotional debut, remains the only man to defeat “Razor” in UFC competition.

“Took one on the chin tonight,” Blaydes wrote on Twitter after the bout. “I will be back with the same confidence.”

Took one on the chin tonight, I will be back with the same confidence #sometimesyourthenail #minorsetback #tooyoungtostopnow

— Curtis Blaydes (@RazorBlaydes265) November 24, 2018

Blaydes’ Octagon tenure includes victories over the likes of Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt and Alexey Oleynik. He is 10-2 with one no contest as a professional overall.

For Ngannou, it was a welcome return to form following a two-fight losing streak in which he looked nothing like the knockout machine that made him one of the UFC’s top rising stars.

“I feel great, it’s been a while since I’ve had my hand raised inside the Octagon,” Nganno said after the bout. “I didn’t think it would be that quick, I wanted to take it slowly and let what happens, happen. Next, I’m ready for some ass to kick.”