This past Saturday night in the featured prelim of UFC 299, we saw a pivotal matchup in the heavyweight division. Curtis “Razor” Blaydes (18-4) returned to the octagon as he looked to be the first man inside the octagon to defeat top prospect Jailton Almeida (20-3).
Almeida had looked unstoppable in his UFC run leading up to Saturday night. When the featured prelim started, you could see how he was so dominant. Almeida ragdolled Blaydes in the first round really taking him down whenever he wanted to. There weren’t many strikes thrown, but it was a dominant round.
In the second round, both men opened up a little more with their striking. However, striking just led to Almeida shooting for a takedown. Blaydes defended it well and when he looked down, Almeida’s head was exposed. From there, Blaydes unloaded with a barrage of massive shots that ended up stopping the fight giving Blaydes the massive win at UFC 299.
What’s next after UFC 299?
This was a huge win for Blaydes who wants again proved that he’s one of the best heavyweights in the world. After the fight was over, Blaydes was falling for a fight against interim champion Tom Aspinall. Blaydes and Aspinall fought in the summer of 2022 with Blaydes picking up the TKO win after Aspinall injured his knee.
Jon Jones is the undisputed champion and he’s healing from an injury right now. Upon his return, he’ll be fighting former champion Stipe Miocic. That leaves Aspinall in a state of limbo. Aspinall took to X and said that he’s down to face Blaydes and honestly, it’s the the fight the UFC should make.