Curtis Blaydes has his sights set on gold.

A perennial top contender in the UFC heavyweight division, “Razor” has yet to challenge for the weight class’ crown. After his most recent setback, falling against Derrick Lewis in February 2021, Blaydes has gotten back on a hot streak with three straight wins.

Unfortunately for Blaydes, his last time out was a 15-second TKO win over surging Brit Tom Aspinall, who suffered a knee injury to end the bout, leaving some doubts about where he could go next. The win was still enough to keep Blaydes at the forefront of the division, however, as solid performances over Jairzinho Rozenstruik and Chris Daukaus preceded it.

Now, Blaydes finds himself as a possible option for Jon Jones’ divisional debut opponent should a clash between “Bones” and current champion Francis Ngannou not come to fruition, per MMA Junkie.

“That’s about as far as I know, as well,” Blaydes told Fanatics View (h/t MMA Junkie). “But seeing as how it’s been reported by all these official MMA websites and authors, I think it’s legit, and I’m going to begin preparing when I get home after the holidays. I’ll be in champ mode or the mindset, so I’ll be ready. We’ll see what happens though.”

Aside from the aforementioned Lewis, Ngannou is the only man to defeat the 17-3 (1 NC) Blaydes in his career. Primarily a dominant force thanks to his extensive wrestling background, becoming a champion is what the 31-year-old strives for over all else.

“Title shot, that’s the ultimate goal,” Blaydes said. “Jon is just the ultimate consolation, but what you workout for every day is the real belt, not the interim belt. The real belt.”

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TOP STORIES

Roundtable. Which fighter has the most to be thankful for in 2022?

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Thoughts. Yair Rodriguez reacts to UFC 284 interim title shot: ‘I kind of saw it coming, so I didn’t really care.’

Callout. Renato Moicano eyes fight with Conor McGregor following UFC 281 win: ‘F*** McGregor, it’s my time.’

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VIDEO STEW

MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck chats with Anthony Taylor.

Top Flash Finishes in UFC History.

Free fight.

PFL Official weigh-ins.

PFL Fight Week Ep. 6.

Usman’s championship celebration.

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LISTEN UP

Between the Links. MMA Fighting’s Mike Heck and Jed Meshew discuss Bellator 288, UFC Vegas 65, PFL pay-per-view, Chimaev vs. Pereira, more.

No Bets Barred. MMA Fighting’s Jed Meshew and Conner Burks discuss betting big on Kayla Harrison at the 2022 PFL Championships.

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SOCIAL MEDIA BOUILLABAISSE

Cheers.

Back at it.

Chubby champ.

Lol.

Congrats!

Soon.

Soccer time.

Football time.

EA still needs to add the secret juice.

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FIGHT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Nikita Krylov (29-9) vs. Ryan Spann (21-7); UFC Fight Night, Feb. 25

Jessica Penne (14-7) vs. Tabatha Ricci (7-1); UFC 285, March 4

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Kind of have to appreciate Blaydes’ thinking here. Jones is an absolute win-win for him matchup-wise and financially. Yet he still wants his proven kryptonite, which I guess isn’t super surprising.

Hope everyone had a great holiday if you celebrated! Enjoy the rest of the weekend and thanks for reading as always!

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EXIT POLL

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