Issue 177

April 2019

Chicago heavyweight Curtis "Razor" Blaydes looks back at five of the most important fights of his early career.

1. Mark Hunt, UFC 221

After he landed the overhand in the first round, I knew I just had to survive it. That was probably the biggest, most dangerous moment in the fight. After that it was pretty much smooth sailing. I was able to get my takedowns at will and I wasn’t really in any other dangerous spots after that first shot. When you walk out of the Octagon after a fight with a guy like Mark Hunt with your hand raised, any way you get your hand raised, is a confidence boost.

2. Alistair Overeem, UFC 225

This fight was a bit more special for me because it was in Chicago. I was able to do it surrounded by so many friends and family members. I was able to hang out afterwards with whoever I wanted to hang out with. That was a special night. I was able to execute my game plan pretty much perfectly. I was able to get in and get my takedowns and hold him down. I got in some effective ground and pound and then eventually I was able to wear him out and get the finish. I don’t really remember the finish. That’s always a blur. I watched it enough afterwards that I saw it was pretty much over after the first elbow.

3. Francis Ngannou, UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. Dos Santos

That was my UFC debut. Even though I lost the fight I am proud of it, given the circumstances heading into that fight. The jitters are always there. I don’t think they ever go away. It was different to travel to Europe and not really having a gym or coaches or anything like that. It wasn’t the best situation but you can’t turn down a UFC opportunity. It wasn’t the best but I don’t regret it.

4. Cody East, UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson

That was my first actual win in the UFC. I beat Cody after I lost to Francis Ngannou. It was October of 2016. That was a big one. The first UFC win was a big one. There was a bit of pressure because I already lost my UFC debut. You don’t want to go 0-2 because you are liable to get released, so I had a little bit of that pressure in this fight. It was prefect the way it ended. I had to go through a bit of adversity. I got rocked a little bit. Even bigger was that it was the first fight I had with Team Elevation. My coaches did a great job helping me. They gave me actual coaching in between rounds. It went as well as could be expected, being our first fight together. Plus, I won the bonus that night.

5. Angel Cabral, Illinois Regional Amateur

One of the most important and memorable fights was one of my amateur fights in Illinois. It was five rounds. I won it in the last round by punches. It was my first legit opponent. Beating him gave me a lot of confidence to eventually turn pro.