Finally, Curtis Blaydes is getting a shot at UFC gold, but it isn’t exactly under ideal circumstances.
For starters, Blaydes will compete for the interim heavyweight championship defended by Tom Aspinall at UFC 304 (ESPN+ pay-per-view) on July 27 in Manchester, England, but that doesn’t really bother him.
“In a perfect world, it’s Aspinall vs. Jon (Jones in a title unifier), but that’s not the world we live in,” Blaydes told reporters backstage this past weekend at UFC on ESPN 59 in Denver. “The UFC’s had a lot of weird, wonky matchups over the years. … It’s normal for the UFC. I’m not like, ‘Oh my God.’ It’s normal.”
What isn’t normal is a different circumstance surrounding the fight. Despite UFC 304 taking place in the U.K., the promotion is keeping the traditional pay-per-view start time of 10 p.m. ET, which is five hours behind the local time in Manchester. That means Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) and Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) will face each other in the middle of the night or very early morning.
That part seems to bother Blaydes.
“The biggest difference is it’s gonna be like 4 a.m., and that’s what doesn’t really feel like a real title fight,” Blaydes said. “You wouldn’t have McGregor fight at 4 a.m. regardless of where it is in the world. That makes it feel a little less, but I don’t care. I’m getting the title-fight purse money. That’s all that matters.”
Blaydes said he’s not doing anything differently to prepare for the time change. He’ll arrive in Manchester on July 21 and go through fight week like normal.
“If I’m tired 5 minutes before they call my name, I guess that’s on me,” Blaydes said. “If you can’t get up for a title fight, you don’t deserve it. That’s my preparation.”
Blaydes, 33, has waited years for this title opportunity to come to fruition. He was on the verge in 2021 until Derrick Lewis knocked him out. But Blaydes responded by winning four of his past five fights to secure this rematch with Aspinall that means everything to him.
But it’s business as usual.
“There’s always pressure,” Blaydes said. “Nobody wants to lose. Nobody wants to get knocked out on TV in front of millions. Regardless if it was on the prelims or whatever, that’s always the pressure I have. I don’t want to lose, but there’s no extra pressure because it’s a title fight. It’s just the pressure of a fight that’s always there.”
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