Curtis Lionell Blaydes (born February 18, 1991) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the

Heavyweight Heavyweight is a weight class in combat sports and professional wrestling. Boxing Professional Boxers who weigh over are considered heavyweights by 3 of the 4 major professional boxing organizations: the International Boxing Federation, the Wo ...

division in the

Ultimate Fighting Championship The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) is an American mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion company based in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is owned and operated by Zuffa, a wholly owned subsidiary of Endeavor Group Holdings. It is the largest MMA ...

(UFC). A professional since 2014, Blaydes formerly competed for the Resurrection Fighting Alliance (RFA). As of December 6, 2022, he is #4 in the UFC heavyweight rankings.

Background

Blaydes was born in Naperville, Illinois and raised in nearby

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

along with his four other siblings. He began

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

for the

De La Salle Institute English: Sign of Faith , religious_affiliation = Roman Catholic( De La Salle Brothers} , patron = , established = , founder = Brother Adjutor of Mary, FSC , status = Open ...

, winning a state title his senior year while also compiling an undefeated 44–0 record. During his four years, Blaydes compiled an overall record of 95–18 with 121 takedowns. Blaydes also played

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

for De La Salle as a defensive end. He later earned a full wrestling scholarship to Northern Illinois University. After going 19–2 as a redshirt freshman at NIU, he transferred to Harper College. At Harper, Blaydes won the NJCAA National Championship as a redshirt sophomore. After he began fighting in amateur mixed martial arts, Blaydes left school to focus on a career in MMA. Blaydes was an IKF amateur champion.

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Blaydes compiled an 8–0 amateur record before turning professional in 2014. He then went 5–0, with all wins via TKO, before being signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Blaydes made his promotional debut against Francis Ngannou on April 10, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 86. He lost the fight via TKO at the conclusion of the second round due to doctor stoppage. Blaydes next faced Cody East on October 1, 2016 at UFC Fight Night 96. He won the fight via TKO in the second round, winning his first UFC Performance of the Night bonus. Blaydes faced

Adam Milstead Adam Alexander Milstead (born July 3, 1987) is an American former mixed martial arts fighter who competed in the Light Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship. A professional competitor from 2009 up until 2018, he also competed ...

on February 4, 2017 at UFC Fight Night 104. After dominating the action throughout the first round, Blaydes won the fight via TKO after Milstead sustained a knee injury. Subsequently, the result was changed to a No Contest after Blaydes tested positive for marijuana. Blaydes faced

Daniel Omielańczuk Daniel Omielańczuk (born August 31, 1982) is a Polish professional mixed martial artist and kickboxer currently competing in the Heavyweight division of Konfrontacja Sztuk Walki (KSW). A professional MMA competitor since 2009, he has competed f ...

on July 8, 2017 at UFC 213. He won the fight by unanimous decision. Blaydes faced

Alexey Oleynik Aleksei Alexeyevich Oleinik (born June 25, 1977, as Oleksíy Oleksíyovych Olíynyk) is a Russian mixed martial artist and Sambo (martial art)#Styles, combat sambo fighter who fought for the Ultimate Fighting Championship, competing in their ...

on November 4, 2017 at UFC 217. He won the fight via TKO due to a doctor stoppage. The referee stopped the fight after Blaydes delivered an illegal kick to a downed opponent and called a doctor to check on Oliynyk. The fight was stopped due to the doctor's advice. The replay, however, showed the strike did not deliver significant damage (as it only grazed the ear), and the fight was ruled a win for Blaydes. Blaydes faced

Mark Hunt Mark Richard Hunt (born 23 March 1974) is a New Zealand former mixed martial artist and kickboxer of Samoan descent, currently living in Sydney, Australia. Hunt competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) until 2018 and was the winn ...

on February 11, 2018 at UFC 221. He won the fight via unanimous decision. Blaydes faced Alistair Overeem on June 9, 2018 at

UFC 225 ''UFC 225: Whittaker vs. Romero 2'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on June 9, 2018, at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Background A UFC Middleweight Championship bout between c ...

. He won the fight via TKO due to elbows in the third round. This win earned him the

Performance of the Night UFC Bonus Awards are three separate cash bonuses usually awarded to four fighters after each UFC event, based on internal decisions by UFC management. More/fewer bonuses have been awarded at some events, especially when no knockouts or submissions ...

bonus. Blaydes faced Francis Ngannou in a rematch on November 24, 2018 in the main event at

UFC Fight Night 141 ''UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 141'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on November 24, 2018 at Cadillac Arena in Beijing, China. Background ...

He lost the fight via TKO early into the first round. Blaydes faced Justin Willis on March 23, 2019 at

UFC Fight Night 148 ''UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 148'' or ''UFC on ESPN+ 6'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on March 23, 2019 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville ...

. Blaydes continually took Willis down, scoring multiple takedowns and knocking down Willis in the second round winning the fight via unanimous decision. Blaydes faced Shamil Abdurakhimov on September 7, 2019 at

UFC 242 ''UFC 242: Khabib vs. Poirier '' was a mixed martial arts pay-per-view event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that was held on September 7, 2019 at The Arena, Yas Island in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Background The event mark ...

. He won the fight via TKO in the second round. Blaydes faced Junior dos Santos on January 25, 2020 at UFC Fight Night 166. He won the fight via technical knockout in the second round. Blaydes faced Alexander Volkov on June 20, 2020 at UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Volkov. He won the fight via unanimous decision (49–46, 48–47, and 48–46). Blaydes was scheduled to face

Derrick Lewis Derrick James Lewis (born February 7, 1985) is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Heavyweight division in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he currently holds the record for most knockouts ...

on November 28, 2020 at UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Lewis. However, he tested positive for coronavirus and thus, the bout was scrapped. The pair was rescheduled for

UFC Fight Night 185 ''UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis'' (also known as ''UFC Fight Night 185'', ''UFC on ESPN+ 43'' and ''UFC Vegas 19'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on February 20, 2021 at the UFC ...

on February 20, 2021. Blaydes lost the fight via knockout in the second round. He became a free agent after fighting out his contract, and signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC in May. Blaydes faced

Jairzinho Rozenstruik Jairzinho Rozenstruik (born 17 March 1988) is a Surinamese mixed martial artist and former kickboxer, who currently competes in the Heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). He currently holds the record for second fast ...

on September 25, 2021 at

UFC 266 ''UFC 266: Volkanovski vs. Ortega'' was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on September 25, 2021 at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada, part of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Area, United S ...

. Blaydes won the fight via unanimous decision. Blaydes faced Chris Daukaus on March 26, 2022 at

UFC on ESPN 33 ''UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus'' (also known as ''UFC on ESPN 33'') was a mixed martial arts event produced by the Ultimate Fighting Championship that took place on March 26, 2022 at the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, United States. Bac ...

. He won the fight via TKO early in the second round. The win also earned him the ''

'' award. Blaydes faced Tom Aspinall on July 23, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 208. Blaydes won the fight via TKO after Aspinall suffered a knee injury and was unable to defend himself in the opening minute of the fight.

Personal life

Blaydes has a daughter, Harlie, from a previous relationship.

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

(Three times) vs. Cody East, Alistair Overeem, and Chris Daukaus **Most takedowns in a fight in UFC Heavyweight division history (14)

Folkstyle wrestling

National Junior College Athletic Association The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA), founded in 1938, is the governing association of community college, state college and junior college athletics throughout the United States. Currently the NJCAA holds 24 separate regions ...

** NJCAA HWT National Championship out of Harper College (2012) ** NJCAA All-American out of Harper College (2012)

Mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 17–3 (1) , Tom Aspinall , TKO (knee injury) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:15 ,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, England , , - , Win , align=center, 16–3 (1) , Chris Daukaus , TKO (punches) , UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:17 ,

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, and t ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 15–3 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 14–3 (1) ,

, KO (punch) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:26 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 14–2 (1) , Alexander Volkov , Decision (unanimous) , UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov , , align=center, 5 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 13–2 (1) , Junior dos Santos , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:06 ,

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the List of North Carolina county seats, seat of Wake County, North Carolina, Wake County in the United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, second-most ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 12–2 (1) , Shamil Abdurakhimov , TKO (elbow and punch) ,

, , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:22 ,

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, United Arab Emirates , , - , Win , align=center, 11–2 (1) , Justin Willis , Decision (unanimous) , UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the List of muni ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 10–2 (1) , Francis Ngannou , TKO (punches) , UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:45 ,

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

, China , , - , Win , align=center, 10–1 (1) , Alistair Overeem , TKO (elbows) ,

, , align=center, 3 , align=center, 2:56 ,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 9–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 221 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

, Australia , , - , Win , align=center, 8–1 (1) ,

, TKO (doctor stoppage) , UFC 217 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 1:56 ,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 7–1 (1) ,

, Decision (unanimous) , UFC 213 , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 ,

, United States , , - , NC , align=center, 6–1 (1) ,

, NC (overturned) , UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:59 ,

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 6–1 , Cody East , TKO (elbows) , UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 2:02 ,

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

, United States , , - , Loss , align=center, 5–1 , Francis Ngannou , TKO (doctor stoppage) , UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 5:00 ,

Zagreb Zagreb ( , , , ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slop ...

, Croatia , , - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Luis Cortez , TKO (punches) , RFA 35: Moises vs. Castillo , , align=center, 3 , align=center, 0:41 ,

Orem, Utah Orem is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, in the northern part of the state. It is adjacent to Provo, Lindon, and Vineyard and is approximately south of Salt Lake City. Orem is one of the principal cities of the Provo-Orem, Utah Me ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 ,

Allen Crowder Allen Crowder (born November 8, 1989) is a retired American mixed martial artist who competed in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Background Allen Crowder's nickname "Pretty Boy" comes from his amateur care ...

, TKO (punches) , RDMMA: Battle in the South 10 , , align=center, 2 , align=center, N/A ,

Wilmington, North Carolina Wilmington is a port city in and the county seat of New Hanover County in coastal southeastern North Carolina, United States. With a population of 115,451 at the 2020 census, it is the eighth most populous city in the state. Wilmington is the ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Brad Faylor , TKO (punches) , SCS 23: Redemption , , align=center, 2 , align=center, 0:45 , Hinton, Oklahoma, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , William Baptiste , TKO (punches) , XFO 53 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:14 ,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Lorenzo Hood , TKO (doctor stoppage) , XFO 51 , , align=center, 1 , align=center, 1:42 ,

Chicago, Illinois (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, United States , , -

Amateur mixed martial arts record

, - , Win , align=center, 5–0 , Tyler Reece , Submission (arm-triangle choke) , XFO Fight NIght , February 21, 2014 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:24 , Arlington Heights,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 4–0 , Anthony Harvey , Decision (unanimous) , Brawl at the Hall 10 , November 15, 2013 , align=center, 3 , align=center, 5:00 , Joliet,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 3–0 , Pete Juska , TKO (punches) , AFPC 13 - Summer Brawl , July 13, 2013 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:16 ,

Villa Park Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations ...

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 2–0 , Angel Cabral , TKO (punches) , Brawl at the Hall , June 7, 2013 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 2:16 , Joliet,

, United States , , - , Win , align=center, 1–0 , Robbie Strong , TKO (punches) , No Mercy 2012 , September 29, 2012 , align=center, 1 , align=center, 0:13 , Melrose Park,

, United States , , -

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Blaydes, Curtis 1991 births American male mixed martial artists African-American mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists from Illinois Heavyweight mixed martial artists Mixed martial artists utilizing collegiate wrestling Mixed martial artists utilizing kickboxing Mixed martial artists utilizing Brazilian jiu-jitsu Ultimate Fighting Championship male fighters Doping cases in mixed martial arts American male kickboxers Kickboxers from Illinois American practitioners of Brazilian jiu-jitsu American male sport wrestlers Amateur wrestlers Sportspeople from Chicago Sportspeople from Naperville, Illinois 21st-century African-American sportspeople Living people

Background

Mixed martial arts career

Early career

Ultimate Fighting Championship

Personal life

Championships and accomplishments

Mixed martial arts

Folkstyle wrestling

Mixed martial arts record

Amateur mixed martial arts record

See also

References

External links