On March 23 at UFC Nashville, Curtis Blaydes will make his return to the Octagon when he faces up-and-coming heavyweight Justin Willis in the co-main event. Blaydes will be looking to bounce back from a major setback at UFC Beijing last November, where Blaydes lost to Ngannou for the second time in his career, only this time when he was right on the verge of a title shot. But Blaydes is not one to sit around feeling sorry for himself. He is moving right along with his career and is happy about being paired with the 8-1 Willis: (Transcript via BJPenn.com)
“I’m pretty happy with the match up,” Blaydes said on episode 111 of BJPENN Radio. “He asked for me and it just worked out.
“I think he’s got solid boxing and I know he trains at AKA with Cain and DC and all those other good grapplers,” he continued. “So I’m expecting him to be a confident grappler.”
That confidence will ultimately be misplaced, Blaydes believes, as he feels he is the superior grappler and the better all-around fighter between the two:
“I still believe I’m the better grappler because I believe [I have the] best wrestling in the heavyweight division,” Blaydes said. “And I know he’s got power. I mean every heavyweight’s got power. I’ve got power.
“I think I hold the advantage when it comes to the speed, athleticism, wrestling and I just I think I’m the better fighter overall.”
Curtis Blaydes would then provide a detailed summary of how he sees the fight between himself and Justin Willis playing out next Saturday:
“I see me working my angles, getting my boxing [going], getting my jab, getting it inside, crush his legs, get him on his back and then getting him in a really bad submission on the ground or just finishing with strikes, hopefully elbows,” Blaydes said.
“On Fight Night you guys can expect to see a lot of explosive movement, a lot of takedowns and a lot of heavy strikes,” he said. “2019 will be my year.”
Do you believe Curtis Blaydes will get back on track at UFC Nashville with a victory over Justin Willis?
