Curtis Blaydes doubts 'predictable' Derrick Lewis 'willing to go to the dark places'

Curtis Blaydes isn't buying Derrick Lewis' claim of bringing a wrestling-heavy attack to their UFC on ESPN 18 headliner.

LAS VEGAS – Ahead of their heavyweight headliner at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 event, Curtis Blaydes doesn’t expect to see any new wrinkles from opponent Derrick Lewis.

Sure, he admits “The Black Beast” has the power to end just about any fight with a single punch, but Blaydes believes most heavyweights do – and he thinks Lewis’ reliance on his power makes him an easy puzzle to solve.

“We’re heavyweights; power is a prerequisite,” Blaydes told MMA Junkie. “I’m not overly impressed with it. Do I understand he’s got it? Yes. But do I understand that he’s just looking to knock my head off? Yes. That’s what makes him predictable.

“He doesn’t use his jab. He doesn’t set up combinations. He doesn’t move his feet. When he throws his rear overhand, he brings up his rear leg, and he ends up in a square stance, which is the worst thing to do against a guy like me, so there’s just so many holes in his striking.”

Of course, another facet of Lewis’ game that often garners his attention is his curious ability to simply stand up when taken down by grappling-minded opponents. It’s not always the prettiest of techniques, but Lewis has shown a real penchant for simply powering his way back to his feet.

Blaydes (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) believes he’s the best grappler Lewis (24-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) has faced so far, and that the feared slugger won’t be able to implement that approach against him.

“People aren’t doing their research on who are the people taking him down, who are the people that he’s standing up against,” Blaydes said. “The thing is, he’s getting taken down by everybody. Blagoy Ivanov took him down. Ilir Latifi took him down. Alexander Volkov took him down. Marcin Tybura took him down. Everyone took him down, but these guys aren’t even good grapplers.

“When a good grappler takes you down, you don’t just get up. You need technique to get up, and that’s the thing: The UFC has protected him. He hasn’t gotten a good grappler. Now he’s getting one. He’s not just going to stand up. That’s disrespectful to all the years of wrestling I’ve put into my own game. I’ve worked too hard at this. The muscle memory is too locked in. That’s not how it works.”

Oddsmakers seem to agree with Blaydes’ assessment and currently have him installed as a rather sizable -370 favorite. With Blaydes currently ranked No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings, and Lewis just behind at No. 4, a title shot could potentially hang in the balance, and an impressive performance could go a long way toward securing that opportunity.

Blaydes believes the end result all boils down to how much heart Lewis is willing to show.

“You’re always hoping to get a finish, but it depends on him, how tough he is,” Blaydes said. “It’s a grind. I’m going to press him, get him up against the cage, get him on the ground. Take him down, ground and pound him, and if he makes it out of the round, rinse and repeat. If he makes it out of that round, rinse and repeat. If he makes it out of that round, rinse and repeat.

“Is he willing to go to the dark places? I’ve been to the dark places. My last fight against Volkov, I went to the dark place, and now I know how to operate within that space. I don’t think he’s ever been happy going to that place.”

UFC on ESPN 18 airs on ESPN2 and streams live on ESPN+ from UFC Apex. To hear Blaydes’ full media day interview, check out the video below.