Curtis Blaydes has shared his take on the announced interim UFC Heavyweight Title clash between Derrick Lewis and Ciryl Gane.
Lewis and Gane will collide inside the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. The title bout will headline UFC 265 on Aug. 7. The news came as a surprise to many as UFC Heavyweight Champion, Francis Ngannou, captured the gold just over three months ago.
During an interview with James Lynch for LowKickMMA, Blaydes threw in his two cents on the situation (h/t Essentially Sports).
“My initial reaction was the negotiations between Francis and the UFC. It must’ve turned bad or some point and this is like Plan B. My guess is if Derrick wins, they’re going to force that rematch. If Ciryl wins, I don’t know exactly but personally; I believe Derrick is going to win. I think they’re going to get the rematch.”
Blaydes went on to explain why he’s backing Lewis to defeat Gane at UFC 265.
“He [Derrick] has a unique skill set. He’s able to just absorb these shots and like it frustrates. I know it frustrates me. I was landing a lot of good shots and that’s why the takedown attempt that I did in the second round, the one he caught me with the uppercut with. It was a bit of a rush job. I felt like my strikes weren’t doing enough, but going back and watching the film, I was wrong.”
Blaydes is preparing for a matchup with Jairzinho Rozenstruik. The two will share the Octagon on September 25. It’ll be a part of the UFC 266 card.
