Curtis Blaydes Perceives Jailton Almeida as One-Dimensional Opponent

Curtis Blaydes believes his well-rounded skillset will overwhelm Jailton Almeida in their UFC 299 clash at Kaseya Center in Miami on Saturday.

Blaydes (17-4) was originally scheduled to headline UFC Sao Paolo opposite Almeida this past November before an injury forced him out of the contest. “Razor” was replaced by Derrick Lewis, who was smothered by Almeida (20-2) for five rounds en route to dropping a lopsided decision. However, Almeida’s performance didn’t impress Blaydes, who compared the Brazilian to former Ultimate Fighting Championship welterweight Demian Maia.

“He did what I thought he would do, take him down,” Blaydes said during the UFC 299 media day. “I didn’t think he’d want to hang out on the feet at all. He hasn’t really shown anything with footwork and hands. He’s a traditional jiu-jitsu guy. He’s like a heavyweight version of Demian Maia. Don’t have hands, just wants to grapple.”

When asked which fighter he compares himself to, Blaydes named Merab Dvalishvili “minus the gas tank.” Blaydes is confident that he will get the better of Almeida with his diverse skillset, especially in the stand-up.

“That’s the beauty of being multifaceted. I don’t have one path to victory. I can win on the feet. I can grapple. I’ve always shown I have the power to knock guys out. I’m very confident I will be able to out-show him on the feet.”

Almeida and Blaydes’ original booking was a five-rounder, it being a main event as opposed to their UFC 299 prelims booking, which is a three-round affair. While Almeida would have preferred a 25-minute fight, Blaydes is happy with the prelims spot.

“I prefer to be on the prelims,” said Blaydes. “I don’t want to be in there all day thinking about the fight. I know you guys like it because you get to end the night with a good heavyweight knockout. I don’t want to be up from 12 on Saturday all the way till midnight. After I win my fight, I’m going back to the hotel, I’m going to sleep. I’m very happy I’m on the prelims.”

Interim heavyweight Tom Aspinall has expressed interest in fighting the winner of Blaydes vs. Almeida. While “Malhadinho” is expecting an interim title shot with a win, Blaydes claims there are other factors at play.

“I have no idea. It seems like storylines are based on Instagram followers. So if you have enough Instagram followers anything is a great storyline.”