Heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes took questions from the press at the official UFC Vegas 71 media day ahead of facing …
okay there’s another fight back at the Apex he’s starting to get bored of this venue or are we okay with it I’m all right with it it’s not a big deal yeah with this fight right it’s kind of a weird one where you kind of know exactly what you’re going to get a guy who’s going to stand there and try and hit you really really hard does that make it easier to train for because you know what style you’re dealing with or harder to train for because you can’t really replicate that inspiring um a little bit of both because yeah it’s hard to replicate the intensity that and I’m sure he is going to be bringing but also a little easier because you’re not worried about a whole bunch of other um him using a bunch of other if an offensive attacks it does make it a little easier yeah I’m sure when you were preparing for this fight the one that everyone’s going to point to is the over him fight right when he first got to UFC kind of got out grappled in that is that it do you look at that and go well if Overeem could do that and I know I can do the Overeem then I know what I can do to this guy I mean that’s not like I don’t believe in MMA math because that’ll get you screwed up but um I do I look at that film uh I was actually here that night because I’ve ran since that nights I watched it and yeah that does give me confidence that if Alistair can take him down and hold him down I’m confident I can also yeah it’s been a while since this topic has come up but I only asked because of his explosive like aggression it’s a smaller cage something you’d rather not be dealing with or not even come into your mind um the smaller cage it does uh allow for a lot more um engagement but if I’m using my footwork the way I I know I can use in my high lows I don’t I believe it’s going to be an issue do you think his recent success is coming because he’s fighting stylistically guys who will stand in front of him and just be there to be hit if you know what I mean a little bit um I think yeah his past opponents they’ve been pretty much uh stationary and I’m the opposite I don’t like to be stationary I like to always be be moving presenting multiple targets and I think yeah his past opponents did the exact opposite and played into the brawling game he wants once again I feel like every time you’re right there something happens in the heavyweight division where someone else comes in and then a fight gets you know and you’ll just sort of push back and told to fight again it looks like John and Steve hey will probably happen in November now which is a while away and then John seems to sort of be saying well if I win that I’m gone does it kind of annoy you that you’re like well I don’t know what I’m working towards yeah I don’t know I know what I’m working towards I win I’ll wait I’ll wait for title shot it doesn’t I don’t care who it is if it’s John if it’s Depot if they bring in Brock Lesnar I’ll wait it’s funny right um for years like John’s always they’re always looking for like the next guy who’s gonna challenge John you know and Sarah was this big fast move like what might give him fits and then he came in and did what he did Cyril but now I feel like in that conversation your name’s the one that’s coming up like oh well he has some 49 a younger more explosive wrestler do you believe you have the style to give John the problem yes I do I mean the wrestling I present it’s a problem and if if you don’t think so then you don’t really understand MMA the ability for me to take the fight I’m on the feet to the ground when I want to put more mental pressure on my opponents they have to think about it even if I don’t actually shoot you know it’s an option and it’s something for you to think about and I’ve I use that and I think I can use that against John what’s your relationship like with him if you even have one um I don’t really have one I mean uh last year I was asked about a matchup a potential answer between him and steepe and it was a smaller interview and I gave my I get my answer out I was like I picked stupid because he’s shown me he can he’s had multiple five round heavyweight fights and I haven’t seen that of John and I guess John’s seeing that and he kind of hopped off on me on uh Twitter but that’s about it that’s my only engagement I know this isn’t necessarily something that you particularly care about a lot but right if he beats DP and then you and him apparently have well he has a little bit of a weird animosity towards you that fight would be massive and then for you to have this opportunity to be the one to beat Jon Jones is it a bit frustrating that he might potentially not do that and just retire no I mean I’m not in this for Glory a lot of like that’s not what what wakes me up and gives me working out in the morning I’m I’m here for money and I know if I have the belt I get more money so whoever I have to hide to get the belt I really don’t care who it is it would help obviously if it was John if that helps my legacy but it’s not the end I’ll be all for me what if it’s about money if you beat John you’d be the champion they’d give him a rematch and then you’d have the championship scores for the rematch yeah there’s more money it would definitely help but even if it’s not John that’s still a lot of money hey Curtis um what were your thoughts on Jon Jones versus Cyril gone like did you think it would go as easy as it was or like you know no I mean I knew that he had the option to take him down whenever he wanted to it was just a question of whether or not he had ego if he had ego he would have tried to to stand and like a mountain if he didn’t have ego he went for the takedown immediately and was able to get the uh Guillotine I I’m not really shocked because we had already seen real God didn’t know how to wrestle I don’t think he ever a lot of guys in the UFC come in and they they have their skill this is what I’m good at and that skill is what got them here and they don’t really add on I I think he’s one of those guys he believes in his hands he’s like I don’t have to wrestle so I don’t think he’s ever gonna know how to wrestles so is that something like you know with Sarah gone obviously you know if if he’s not gonna wrestle he’s going to be in big trouble in heavyweight division obviously but like do you think it was part of that do you think like like the lights and everything got to him or do you think it was just he he does not know how to wrestle I don’t think it was the lights he he had an interim title fight right so yeah I don’t think it was the lights I think he don’t know how to wrestle like when he got in that position he didn’t fight the hands that’s the first thing you do is hide the hands he didn’t so you knew right there he doesn’t know what he’s doing um have you been impressed with sergey’s run so far um you know with him knocking out Derek and knocking out Ty and all like or do you think it’s kind of it’s been a perfect matchups for him or if these guys don’t want to stand up being with him and that’s what he does I mean it is in impressive regardless of the matchups every time you step in the Octagon heavyweight you can lose it’s it’s not really a skill based division it’s just who hits first so for him to rack up the wins impressive and also I think it does help that he’s been fighting against guys who I guys said earlier they’re they’re stationary it’ll move and the they’re well in the bank with them and finally a former opponent Francis Ghana was obviously left UFC do you think you know there was a lot of you know questions about him leaving but it’s kind of cool down by now like do you think it was a mistake for him to leave no I I do believe he will he only needs to have one fight where he earns like a five billion or to be a win for him and that can happen between now and the next four years I believe it’ll happen so I don’t think it was a mistake awesome thanks man earliest thanks for taking the time um you’re back here in Vegas you know similar surroundings how was your training camp did you get to use the pi did you have any new spawning Partners to replicate your opponent no I’ve I’ve had the same camps for the past six years I I believe in the philosophy if it’s not broke don’t fix it and no I haven’t used the pi I live in Colorado and I don’t think it’s worth the fight out here so that Colorado get you that higher elevation there’s stronger lungs bigger gas tank awesome and that’s for me how was that weight uh cut if any the training camp good healthy sparring everything good leading to the big night it was a great camp and uh I really don’t have a weight cut it just happens on its own excellent sir good luck on Saturday thank you hey Curtis um your opponent already served as a backup Fighter for Jon Jones and Cyril would you serve as a backup fight for Stipe and John would that be something you’d be interested in yeah why not that’s easy yeah were you a little upset that they didn’t ask you for that last one or did they ask you no I wasn’t asking no I wasn’t upset thank you oh thank you