UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes is understandably frustrated to have had his first shot at gold come to a crashing end in quick time.
Blaydes was back across the pond this past weekend to share the Octagon with Tom Aspinall in England for the second time. "Razor" previously had his hand raised in 2022 after a knee injury to the Brit after just 15 seconds.
The American targeted a more definitive victory this time around, as well as the capturing of Aspinall's interim UFC heavyweight championship. But Blaydes was unable to succeed in that goal at the UFC 304 pay-per-view in Manchester.
In the early hours of Sunday in the UK, Blaydes became the latest victim on Aspinall's run of rapid finishes, being dropped by a stiff jab and finished with an onslaught of ground-and-pound on the one-minute mark of the very first round.
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Having worked so hard to earn his first opportunity at winning gold on mixed martial arts' biggest stage, Blaydes bemoaned his failure to make the most of it.
Blaydes On UFC 304 Loss: 'I Threw Out The Amazing Gameplan...That Would've Worked
Following his setback in the UFC 304 co-main event, Blaydes released his first public statement on his Instagram Stories.
"Razor" maintained that the strategy devised by his team would have worked and ensured his crowning as interim champ but admitted to deviating from it after catching Aspinall on the feet early.
"Sorry guys, I got greedy when I touched him early and threw out the amazing gameplan that my coaches Vinnie Lopez (and) Cody Donovan came up with that would’ve worked I’m sure of it. No excuses Tom was on point tonight I know this isn’t the end of my journey but damnit, I know I’m better than tonight’s performance. I appreciate all the support truly it’s been an eye opening experience to have so many ppl rocking with me," Blaydes wrote.
Having insisted that he is far from done, Blaydes will soon turn his attention to the pursuit of a second chance at reaching the heavyweight mountaintop.
Aspinall, meanwhile, has ensured that his reign as interim champ goes on and continues to call for a unification showdown with champion Jon Jones.
While Dana White stated that the Brit will face the winner of Jones' expected title clash with Stipe Miocic later this year, backlash to that matchup from the community has only grown after Aspinall's emphatic performance at UFC 304.