Curtis Blaydes talked a lot of smack leading up to UFC on ESPN 11, and the boss took note of everything that Blaydes was saying. Blaydes said that he planned on ragdolling his opponent, and made comments about how he should get the next title shot. Earlier this week, I wrote about how that would be an issue considering the fact that he’s lost twice to the top contender in the division, Francis Ngannou. Dana White took to the podium after the fight, and delivered a very direct quote to Blades: “You look stupid.”
UFC title shot isn’t in the cards for Blaydes right now
White pointed out the fact that his performance did not back up the smack that Blaydes had talked all week. White also mentioned the fact that he’s lost twice to Ngannou, so waiting for a title shot makes no sense.
“He gassed out after the third round. . . If I was him I wouldn’t wait, I’d stay active.” White said in his post-fight press conference. Blaydes does not strike me as a stupid human being. There is no way that even he could watch that performance, and make the assumption that he should be fighting for the UFC heavyweight title next. Nobody would want to see Curtis Blaydes fight for the title after his win over Volkov.
Winning + Excitement = Title Shot
If history has taught us anything about the UFC, it’s taught us that you not only have to win, but you have to be exciting to get a title shot. Blaydes had a lot going for him after his last few performances, but tonight was a devastating blow to his stock even in a win. If he would have came out and finished Volkov early, White would probably have said; “Yeah, I’d probably wait for the title shot.” Look at what Dana has been telling Conor McGregor over the last few months. However, Blaydes looked horrendous in victory, and White knows that his fan base has no interested in seeing him fight for the title anytime soon.