Scouting Report: Curtis Blaydes

Curtis Blaydes

Born: Feb. 18, 1991 (Age: 32) in Naperville, Illinois
Division: Heavyweight
Height: 6’4”
Reach: 80”
Record: 17-3 (12-3 UFC)
Association: Elevation Fight Team
Stage of Career: Prime

Summary: Blaydes is one of the very best heavyweight grapplers in the world and has a limited but highly effective striking game that is steadily improving. It all starts with his grappling, where he can get takedowns from his fast, solid double-leg and can keep chain wrestling whenever he runs into a wall. He is also quite effective in the clinch with his high-crotch single and explosive German suplex. Moreover, he can do this effectively for three rounds thanks to excellent three-round cardio, though he gets badly tired if fights run longer. His top control is decent and improving, and he can be effective with his ground-and-pound, especially the elbows, though he can also be tied up at times. However, even if one stops Blaydes’ wrestling attack, it is no guarantee of success. He has a nice jab and throws a good straight right behind it, along with a stout, hard leg kick.

STRIKING

• Stance: Orthodox.
• Hand Speed: Average.
• Jab: Better by itself, being a straight, hard punch. However, it is often thrown in bad situations or with him leaning into it too much, making him vulnerable to right hand counters, as occurred in both the Mark Hunt fight and the Francis Ngannou rematch.
• Cross: A straight, sudden, powerful shot that floored Justin Willis and repeatedly hurt Junior dos Santos, setting up the finish. It was also the punch that knocked out Daukaus.
• Left Hook: A lazy, sloppy shot in the rare instances where he throws it.
• Overhand Right: Almost never uses it.
• Uppercuts: Only throws them inside the clinch, and they are average.
• Solitary Striker or Volume Puncher: Mostly throws a strike at a time, with the exception of his one go-to combo.
• Favorite Combination(s): The one-two, which is technical and harmonious.
• Leg Kicks: Technical and hard. Blaydes used to be light and more tentative with them when he was afraid of being countered, but that rarely happens nowadays.
• Body Kicks: Almost never utilizes them.
• Head Kicks: Rarely throws them.
• Chains Kicks to Punches: No.

Blaydes’ outstanding grappling opens up opportunities in the standup department, and while he is lacking certain strikes and abilities, he has several complimentary weapons with which he has been having more and more success. It all starts with a straight, hard jab, though his decision making with it is not always the best, allowing opponents to counter. Behind the jab, he has an even better cross that has done a lot of damage, including hurt, flooring and even knocking out foes. He puts it together with a crisp one-two. Additionally, Blaydes features a good, damaging leg kick. Blaydes does not have much else at his disposal; his hooks are lazy and sloppy, and he does not even throw overhands, uppercuts or kicks to the head or body. Plus, he generally only fires one strike at a time. Still, he is dangerous with the few strikes he calls upon, and he has used them quite effectively.

CLINCH

• Physical Strength: A tremendously powerful fighter who can throw around other big heavyweights with surprise ease, the use of an explosive German suplex included.
• Technique: Excellent, especially for his go-to maneuvers, including the high-crotch single.
• Knees: Damaging and accurate.
• Elbows: Hard, fairly surgical shots he uses when the opponent covers up too much.
• Defense Against Knees/Elbows: Benefits from the fact that opponents are concerned with Blaydes’ own clinch striking and takedowns. It even held true against someone as dangerous as Alistair Overeem.

Blaydes is a beast in close quarters. He is not only a major threat to take down opponents, but he can hurt them with his powerful knees and even a solid elbow.

GRAPPLING

Wrestling from a Shot: Blaydes takes advantage of openings to shoot a fast, solid double-leg and also chain wrestles nicely if his initial attempt is stuffed.
Wrestling in the Clinch: Loves the high-crotch single, as well as his explosive German suplex—maneuvers with which he can take opponents down at will.
Takedown Defense: Stellar but becomes far more vulnerable once he tires. Alexander Volkov even took him down with a double-leg from a clinch against the cage late in Round 4.
Ability to Return to Feet: Limited since he is normally exhausted in order to have been taken down in the first place.
Submissions: Virtually non-existent, as he prioritizes striking.
Defense/Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu from the Bottom: Limited, as he only finds himself on the bottom if he is severely fatigued.
Top Control: Fair. He goes for far-side wrist control that is not especially effective and still relies on being able to take opponents down again and again. Blaydes does attack the base and tries to kick out the legs, along with hooking a leg inside those of his opponents when they try to post up.
Ground-and-Pound: Deliberate, thrown at a low rate of fire and requires an opening, as he can be tangled up easily. Even with those disclaimers, it can be damaging, especially when laced with short, technical and powerful elbows.

Blaydes is a terrific heavyweight wrestler. He can take opponents down repeatedly with either his fast, effective double-leg shot or by chain wrestling. He especially loves to use a high-crotch single and an explosive, impressive German suplex from the clinch. Once on top, he has some top control, though he still often has to rely on taking the opponent down again and again. He has delivered finishes with ground-and-pound, especially his brutal elbows, but he picks his spots and can be tied up. Defensively, it is only possible to take down Blaydes if he is exhausted, which has only ever occurred late in a five-round fight against a tough opponent.

INTANGIBLES

• Athleticism/General Physical Strength: Immensely powerful and moves well for such a big man.
• Cardio: Superb three-round conditioning but far weaker in five-round bouts. He slows down some in the third round of grinding fights where he scores constant takedowns, and his wrestling effectiveness goes down a level or two in the final round. However, he has not shown much of a gas tank beyond 15 minutes. He was winded throughout the fourth period against Volkov and gassed completely by the end of it.
• Chin: Blaydes has been clearly rocked by solid connections from huge punchers, but it takes a catastrophic shot to knock him out. It has only happened against Lewis and in his rematch with Ngannou.
• Recuperative Powers: He was visibly hurt against Hunt and Overeem but recovered quickly.
• Intelligence: Shows considerable improvement over his fights and generally plays to his strengths.