Blaydes uses fists to win featured bout at Raleigh’s UFC event

Curtis Blaydes is a wrestler. Always has been. Always will be. He does not like getting hit in the face. Never has. Never will.

That is a pretty odd thing to hear about a UFC heavyweight title contender.

Before 14,533 pro-punch-in-the-face fans at PNC Arena during the UFC’s first-ever Raleigh event, the former Illinois state and national wrestling champion who had parlayed those skills into a No. 3 contender ranking ran into trouble against Junior Dos Santos.

“I don’t mean to be mean to the fans,” Blaydes said. “I know they want me to stand up and bang, but that’s not ever going to be in my game plan. It’s wrestle, wrestle, wrestle, wrestle, wrestle. Plan Z is to strike.

The No. 4 contender and former champion entered Saturday as the most difficult fighter in the division to take down. Moments into their featured bout, Dos Santos made it clear there would be no grappling this night.

The grappler was in a strike fight and in the win-or-go-home stratosphere of the heavyweight division, the grappler quickly learned how to make the perfect knuckle sandwich. Behind a flurry of blows, mostly to Dos Santos’ head, Blaydes recorded the biggest victory of his career with a second-round TKO.

“I just used my wrestling to set up my hands,” said Blaydes, who continued trying to take down Dos Santos until a fake led to an opening to strike. “That’s the best path to victory. I don’t like getting hit in the face. I know if I put you on your butt, you can’t hit me.”

The fight keeps Blaydes on the conveyor belt toward heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. Daniel Cormier and Francis Ngannou remain in front of him with no real plans to break up the logjam anytime soon. Blaydes’ next fight could be anyone. It could even be a title shot.

“Is it? I know know. I don’t make the rules,” Blaydes said. “I would like for it to be the title shot, but you never know. I hope. That’s all I can do is hope.”

In the co-headline bout, Michael Chiesa scored an entertaining unanimous decision against Rafael Dos Anjos. In just three welterweight bouts, Chiesa now finds himself on the verge of a title shot of his own.

“I just beat the No. 5-ranked guy in the world and I always say the most important time to ask for a fight is after a win,” Chiesa said.

He did indeed ask for a fight.

“No disrespect to Colby Covington, I just know how tough he is and I want to be where he is,” said Chiesa, calling out the No. 2-ranked fighter in the division. “He just fought for a title and I know he will bring out the best in me. I want to fight him in July during International Fight Week and then fight for a title by the end of the year.

“By the end of 2020, I want to be No. 1,” Chiesa concluded. “Put that in your headlines.”

The 12-bout card featured three fighters with North Carolina ties. Former Appalachian State wrestler Tony Gravely went the distance before coming out on the wrong side of a unanimous decision against Bantamweight Brett Johns in the Fight of the Night. Cramerton native Justine Kish outpointed Luci Pudilova in a Flyweight bout. Oxford’s Hannah Cifers had a coveted feature spot on the card against Angela Hill, but was shut down midway through the second round of their Strawweight battle.

UFC’s next event will be in Houston for UFC 247 on Feb. 8, followed by Fight Night 167 at Albuquerque, New Mexico.