Curtis Blaydes

Blaydes dropped a frantic three-round fight to Josh Hokit in Miami after surviving Hokit’s early surge and trading at a pace that is unusual even for modern heavyweights. The result mattered because it halted Blaydes’ rebound from the Aspinall knockout and turned the fight into one of the defining action bouts on the UFC 327 main card.

Key moments

• Lost a unanimous decision to Josh Hokit on the UFC 327 main card.
• The bout set a new heavyweight pace and produced one of the card's most talked-about wars.
• Blaydes entered the fight ranked and left on a two-loss skid in his last three bouts.

Blaydes used veteran control and enough timely offense to edge Rizvan Kuniev over three rounds in Baku. The split-decision win steadied him after the interim-title defeat to Aspinall and kept him in the top end of the heavyweight conversation.

Key moments

• Beat Rizvan Kuniev by split decision over three rounds.
• The win was Blaydes' first appearance after the 60-second loss to Tom Aspinall.
• It pushed his pro record to 19-5 before the later Hokit defeat.

Blaydes’ interim heavyweight title bid lasted only a minute as Aspinall found the knockout early in Manchester. The loss was significant because it denied Blaydes another run toward undisputed title contention and extended Aspinall’s rise at the top of the division.

Key moments

• Lost the interim UFC heavyweight title fight by first-round knockout.
• The finish came exactly 1:00 into round one at UFC 304.
• It was Blaydes' second career loss to Aspinall.

Blaydes halted Almeida’s surge with a sudden second-round knockout after a tense heavyweight grappling-and-scramble fight. It was exactly the kind of rebound win he needed against a dangerous contender and it put him right back into the title mix.

Key moments

• Stopped Jailton Almeida 36 seconds into round two.
• The finish earned Blaydes a Performance of the Night bonus.
• It snapped the damage from the 2023 loss to Sergei Pavlovich.

Blaydes was stopped in the opening round by Sergei Pavlovich in a main event that was supposed to decide immediate heavyweight relevance. The defeat hurt because Blaydes had entered on a strong run and could not survive the kind of fast, violent exchange that has repeatedly defined his toughest losses.

Key moments

• Lost by first-round TKO in the UFC Fight Night main event.
• The stoppage came at 3:08 of round one.
• It ended a three-fight winning streak.

Blaydes won the London main event in the worst possible way when Aspinall's knee gave out almost immediately in the opening exchange. The result counted as a stoppage win, but it settled nothing competitively and left the rivalry unfinished until the 2024 rematch.

Key moments

• The fight ended only 15 seconds into round one.
• Aspinall suffered a knee injury during the first engagement and could not continue.
• Blaydes was awarded a TKO in the UFC Fight Night main event.
• The abrupt finish set up an eventual rematch with higher stakes.

Blaydes separated himself from Daukaus with his physicality and then erased him seconds into round two in Columbus. The finish was quick enough to feel sudden, but it capped a matchup that had already tilted toward Blaydes' size and pressure.

Key moments

• The bout headlined UFC on ESPN 33 in Columbus.
• Blaydes stopped Daukaus only 17 seconds into the second round.
• The win earned Blaydes a Performance of the Night bonus.
• It kept him stationed near the top of the heavyweight rankings.

Blaydes beat Rozenstruik with a disciplined, takedown-heavy performance that never gave the Surinamese puncher room to turn the fight into a firefight. It was a smart rebound after the Lewis knockout because Blaydes stayed committed to his clearest edge for all 15 minutes.

Key moments

• Rozenstruik had to chase while Blaydes mixed stance switches, jabs and wrestling entries.
• Blaydes repeatedly forced clinches and mat returns whenever Rozenstruik tried to reset at range.
• All three judges scored the fight 30-27 for Blaydes.
• The win re-established him as one of the division's best control wrestlers.

Blaydes appeared to be steering the fight toward a typical control-heavy win until Lewis detonated one perfect uppercut in the second round. It was another brutal reminder that heavyweight fights can flip instantly even when Blaydes is dictating most of the terms.

Key moments

• Blaydes spent much of the fight threatening with level changes and forward pressure.
• Lewis needed only one clean opening to reverse the fight's trajectory.
• A sudden uppercut ended the main event at 1:26 of round two.
• The loss halted Blaydes' push toward another title-eliminator spot.

Blaydes smothered Volkov over five rounds by turning the heavyweight main event into an extended takedown and control exercise. Volkov had moments late, but Blaydes' wrestling volume decided the fight well before the scorecards were read.

Key moments

• The fight served as a five-round UFC Apex main event.
• ESPN reported that Blaydes set a UFC heavyweight record with 14 takedowns.
• Volkov had to spend long stretches fighting off mat returns and top control.
• Blaydes won a unanimous decision on scores of 49-46, 48-47 and 48-46.

Blaydes beat former champion dos Santos with patient pressure before cracking him in the second round and pouring on the finishing shots. It was one of his most meaningful name wins because it came in a scheduled main event against a recent title challenger.

Key moments

• The bout headlined UFC Fight Night 166 in Raleigh.
• Blaydes found the stoppage with standing strikes at 1:06 of round two.
• The win came against a former UFC heavyweight champion.
• It strengthened Blaydes' case for another shot at the division's top tier.

Blaydes gradually wore Abdurakhimov down and then overwhelmed him in the second round at UFC 242. The finish fit his preferred script: pressure, top threat, then attritional strikes once the opponent's reactions slowed.

Key moments

• The finish came at 2:22 of round two in Abu Dhabi.
• Blaydes closed the fight with elbows and punches.
• The victory followed his breakout win over Mark Hunt earlier that year.
• It kept his momentum rolling toward higher-ranked heavyweight opposition.

Blaydes put on a textbook heavyweight wrestling clinic against Willis, piling up takedowns and control until the result was obvious. It was not flashy, but it was one of the clearest demonstrations of how difficult his pace becomes once opponents fail early to stay upright.

Key moments

• Blaydes opened with immediate level changes and body-lock takedowns.
• He controlled Willis from top position and even reached full mount in the fight.
• Willis never found a consistent answer to the wrestling entries.
• The judges returned a unanimous decision for Blaydes after three rounds.

The rematch with Ngannou ended even faster than their first meeting, with Blaydes caught and finished in under a minute. It was a major setback because the fight had been booked as a direct route back toward the heavyweight title picture.

Key moments

• The rematch headlined UFC Fight Night 141 in Beijing.
• Ngannou stopped Blaydes just 45 seconds into round one.
• The defeat handed Blaydes a second career loss to the same elite finisher.
• It showed again how little margin for error exists against heavyweight one-shot power.

Blaydes broke through to a marquee heavyweight win by overwhelming Overeem late in the third round after a grinding, physical fight. The finish was savage and bloody, and it announced him as more than just a prospect with takedowns.

Key moments

• The fight reached the third round before Blaydes finally separated himself.
• Overeem briefly looked for a heel hook before Blaydes escaped and surged.
• A barrage of elbows split Overeem open badly and forced the stoppage.
• The win gave Blaydes one of the biggest names on his early UFC resume.

Blaydes shut down Hunt with range, takedowns and wrestling control in Perth, refusing to give the veteran puncher the kind of stand-up duel he wanted. The result was one-sided enough that two judges scored the fight 30-26.

Key moments

• Blaydes mixed long punches with takedowns to keep Hunt from planting for counters.
• He repeatedly forced Hunt to work off his back foot or from underneath.
• Two scorecards read 30-26, underlining how comprehensively he controlled the bout.
• The win strengthened his climb into the heavyweight top tier.

Blaydes neutralized Oleinik's submission threats with smart positional decisions and steadily beat him up on the feet and in brief top moments. The doctor's stoppage in round two reflected the cumulative damage more than one single blow.

Key moments

• Blaydes repeatedly chose to stand rather than linger in Oleinik's dangerous guard.
• His jab and heavier hands bloodied the veteran across the opening round.
• A doctor check in round two ended the bout due to accumulated damage.
• The official result was a second-round TKO by doctor stoppage.

Blaydes kept Omielanczuk on the defensive for three rounds and banked a clean decision in Las Vegas. The fight was another early UFC step in proving that his heavyweight wrestling could hold up over full rounds as well as quick finishes.

Key moments

• Blaydes won all three rounds on two of the judges' cards.
• The official scores were 30-27, 30-27 and 29-28.
• He controlled the pace and positioning well enough to keep Omielanczuk behind for most of the fight.
• The decision moved him to 5-1 with one no contest as a pro at the time.

Blaydes initially appeared to have beaten Milstead when a wrestling exchange wrecked Milstead's knee in the second round, but the result was later overturned. The bout remains a no contest after Blaydes' in-competition marijuana test voided the original TKO win.

Key moments

• Blaydes rode Milstead to the fence and swept out his leg early in round two.
• Milstead's knee bent awkwardly and the referee stopped the fight at 0:59 of the round.
• The original stoppage result was later overturned.
• Tapology and later reporting identify the reason as a marijuana test that changed the bout to a no contest.

Blaydes collected his first UFC win by breaking East down and finishing him with elbows in the second round in Portland. It was the type of grinding heavyweight win that made his wrestling immediately relevant at the UFC level.

Key moments

• The bout ended by elbow strikes at 2:02 of round two.
• This was Blaydes' first victory inside the UFC.
• He turned the fight into a clinch-and-pressure battle before the stoppage.
• The result helped stabilize him after the difficult Ngannou debut.

Blaydes' UFC debut ended in adversity when Ngannou's power badly damaged his right eye and forced a doctor's stoppage between rounds. Even in defeat, the fight showed Blaydes could compete with high-end heavyweight violence, but it also introduced the flaw that punchers would keep testing.

Key moments

• This was Blaydes' first UFC appearance.
• Ngannou swelled Blaydes' right eye badly enough that the cageside physician intervened.
• The fight was stopped between rounds and ruled a second-round doctor-stoppage TKO.
• It began one of the key rivalries of Blaydes' heavyweight career.

Blaydes stayed perfect on the regional scene with a third-round stoppage of Luis Cortez at RFA 35. The win was important because it came immediately before his UFC signing and proved he could carry his pressure deeper than a one-round burst.

Key moments

• The fight took place under the RFA banner in February 2016.
• Blaydes found the stoppage 41 seconds into the third round.
• It was his fifth straight professional win, all by TKO.
• The result came just before his move to the UFC roster.

Blaydes kept his perfect start intact by stopping Allen Crowder in the second round at Battle in the South 10. It was another regional finish built on attritional pressure rather than a single flash knockout.

Key moments

• Sherdog records the finish at 2:30 of round two.
• The stoppage came by punches at Battle in the South 10.
• The win moved Blaydes to 4-0 as a professional.
• It extended a run in which every early pro victory ended by TKO.

Blaydes needed less than a minute of the second round to stop Brad Faylor and keep his unbeaten record clean. By late 2014, his pro pattern was already obvious: survive the first look, then impose size and pressure until the fight fell apart.

Key moments

• The fight ended at 0:45 of round two.
• The official method was TKO by punches.
• It took place at Sugar Creek Showdown 23.
• The result improved Blaydes to 3-0.

Blaydes kept his early pro run moving with another first-round stoppage, this time over William Baptiste at XFO 53. The fight reinforced how quickly he could turn size and top pressure into damage once the opening clinch developed.

Key moments

• The stoppage came at 2:14 of the first round.
• Blaydes won by TKO from punches at XFO 53.
• It was his second professional victory.
• The finish continued an all-TKO start to his pro career.

Blaydes opened his professional career with a fast doctor-stoppage win over Lorenzo Hood at XFO 51. The debut did not last long, but it immediately put his heavyweight physicality on the board.

Key moments

• This was Blaydes' professional MMA debut.
• The official result was a first-round doctor-stoppage TKO at 1:42.
• Tapology records the ending as Hood tapping to strikes while dealing with a hand injury.
• The win started Blaydes' pro career at 1-0.