Curtis Blaydes

Background Blaydes was born in Naperville, Illinois, and raised in nearby Chicago along with his four other siblings. He began wrestling for the De La Salle Institute, winning a state title his senior year while also compiling an undefeated 44–0 record. During his four years, Blaydes compiled an overall record of 95–18 with 121 takedowns. Blaydes also played American football for De La Salle as a defensive end. He later earned a full wrestling scholarship to Northern Illinois University. After going 9–2 as a redshirt freshman at NIU, he transferred to Harper College. At Harper, Blaydes won the NJCAA National Championship as a redshirt sophomore. After he began fighting in amateur mixed martial arts, Blaydes left school to focus on a career in MMA.

Blaydes was an IKF amateur champion.

Mixed martial arts career Early career Blaydes compiled an 8–0 amateur record before turning professional in 2014. He then went 5–0, with all wins via TKO, before being signed by the UFC.

Ultimate Fighting Championship Blaydes made his promotional debut against Francis Ngannou on April 10, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 86. He lost the fight via TKO at the conclusion of the second round due to doctor stoppage.

Blaydes next faced Cody East on October 1, 2016, at UFC Fight Night 96. He won the fight via TKO in the second round, winning his first UFC Performance of the Night bonus.

Blaydes faced Adam Milstead on February 4, 2017, at UFC Fight Night 104. After dominating the action throughout the first round, Blaydes won the fight via TKO after Milstead sustained a knee injury. Subsequently, the result was changed to a No Contest after Blaydes tested positive for marijuana.

Blaydes faced Daniel Omielańczuk on July 8, 2017, at UFC 213. He won the fight by unanimous decision.

Blaydes faced Alexey Oleynik on November 4, 2017, at UFC 217. He won the fight via TKO due to a doctor stoppage. The referee stopped the fight after Blaydes delivered an illegal kick to a downed opponent and called a doctor to check on Oliynyk. The fight was stopped due to the doctor's advice. The replay, however, showed the strike did not deliver significant damage (as it only grazed the ear), and the fight was ruled a win for Blaydes.

Blaydes faced Mark Hunt on February 11, 2018, at UFC 221. He won the fight via unanimous decision.

Blaydes faced Alistair Overeem on June 9, 2018, at UFC 225. He won the fight via TKO due to elbows in the third round. This win earned him the Performance of the Night bonus.

Blaydes faced Francis Ngannou in a rematch on November 24, 2018, in the main event at UFC Fight Night 141 He lost the fight via TKO early into the first round.

Blaydes faced Justin Willis on March 23, 2019, at UFC Fight Night 148. Blaydes continually took Willis down, scoring multiple takedowns and knocking down Willis in the second round winning the fight via unanimous decision.

Blaydes faced Shamil Abdurakhimov on September 7, 2019, at UFC 242. He won the fight via TKO in the second round.

Blaydes faced Junior dos Santos on January 25, 2020, at UFC Fight Night 166. He won the fight via technical knockout in the second round.

Blaydes faced Alexander Volkov on June 20, 2020, at UFC on ESPN 11. He won the fight via unanimous decision (49–46, 48–47, and 48–46).

Blaydes was scheduled to face Derrick Lewis on November 28, 2020, at UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Lewis. However, he tested positive for coronavirus and thus, the bout was scrapped. The pair was rescheduled for UFC Fight Night 185 on February 20, 2021. Blaydes lost the fight via knockout in the second round. He became a free agent after fighting out his contract, and signed a new four-fight deal with the UFC in May.

Blaydes faced Jairzinho Rozenstruik on September 25, 2021, at UFC 266. Blaydes won the fight via unanimous decision.

Blaydes faced Chris Daukaus on March 26, 2022, at UFC on ESPN 33. He won the fight via TKO early in the second round. The win also earned him the Performance of the Night award.

Blaydes faced Tom Aspinall on July 23, 2022, at UFC Fight Night 208. Blaydes won the fight via TKO after Aspinall suffered a knee injury and was unable to defend himself in the opening minute of the fight.

Blaydes faced Sergei Pavlovich on April 22, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 222. He lost the fight via technical knockout in the first round.

Blaydes was scheduled to face Jailton Almeida on November 4, 2023, at UFC Fight Night 231. However, Blaydes withdrew for unknown reasons and was replaced by Derrick Lewis. The pair was rescheduled for UFC 299 on March 9, 2024. After being taken down nine times in round one, Blaydes won the fight by technical knockout in round two. This fight earned him another Performance of the Night award.

Blaydes faced Tom Aspinall in a rematch for the Interim UFC Heavyweight Championship on July 27, 2024 at UFC 304. He lost the fight by knockout one minute into the first round.

Blaydes was scheduled to face Rizvan Kuniev on February 22, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 252. However, the bout was moved to March 8, 2025 at UFC 313 for unknown reasons. A few hours before the event took place, Blaydes withdrew due to an undisclosed illness and the bout was scrapped. The bout was rescheduled for May 17, 2025 at UFC Fight Night 256. In turn, the bout was moved once again and eventually took place on June 21, 2025 at UFC on ABC 8. Blaydes won the fight by split decision. 11 out of 13 media sources scored the fight in favor of Kuniev.

Blaydes faced Josh Hokit on April 11, 2026 at UFC 327. Blaydes lost the bout by unanimous decision in what several media outlets described as a Fight of the Year contender. This fight earned him a $100,000 Fight of the Night award. Blaydes set a UFC record with Hokit for most combined significant strikes in a UFC heavyweight bout, landing 174 of the 351 total.

Blaydes was scheduled to face Waldo Cortes-Acosta on September 19, 2026 at UFC 331. However, the bout was shifted to one week prior to September 12, 2026 at UFC Fight Night 288.

Personal life Blaydes has a daughter. Most control time in UFC Heavyweight division history (1:27:41) Second most takedowns attempted (25) Third most significant strikes landed in any UFC Heavyweight bout (174) Third most significant strikes attempted (302) NJCAA All-American out of Harper College (2012)

Mixed martial arts record Loss

Josh Hokit Decision (unanimous) UFC 327

Miami, Florida, United States Win

Rizvan Kuniev Decision (split) UFC on ABC: Hill vs. Rountree Jr.

Baku, Azerbaijan Loss

Tom Aspinall KO (punches) UFC 304

Manchester, England Win

Jailton Almeida KO (punches) UFC 299

Miami, Florida, United States Loss

Sergei Pavlovich TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Pavlovich vs. Blaydes

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Tom Aspinall TKO (knee injury) UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Aspinall

London, England Win

Chris Daukaus TKO (punches) UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Daukaus

Columbus, Ohio, United States Win

Jairzinho Rozenstruik Decision (unanimous) UFC 266

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Loss

Derrick Lewis KO (punch) UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Alexander Volkov Decision (unanimous) UFC on ESPN: Blaydes vs. Volkov

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States Win

Junior dos Santos TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. dos Santos

Raleigh, North Carolina, United States Win

Shamil Abdurakhimov TKO (elbow and punch) UFC 242

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Win

Justin Willis Decision (unanimous) UFC Fight Night: Thompson vs. Pettis

Nashville, Tennessee, United States Loss

Francis Ngannou TKO (punches) UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Ngannou 2

Beijing, China Win

Alistair Overeem TKO (elbows) UFC 225

Chicago, Illinois, United States Win

Mark Hunt Decision (unanimous) UFC 221

Perth, Australia Win

Aleksei Oleinik TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC 217

New York City, New York, United States Win

Daniel Omielańczuk Decision (unanimous) UFC 213

Las Vegas, Nevada, United States NC

Adam Milstead NC (overturned) UFC Fight Night: Bermudez vs. The Korean Zombie

Houston, Texas, United States Win

Cody East TKO (elbows) UFC Fight Night: Lineker vs. Dodson

Portland, Oregon, United States Loss

Francis Ngannou TKO (doctor stoppage) UFC Fight Night: Rothwell vs. dos Santos

Zagreb, Croatia Win

Luis Cortez TKO (punches) RFA 35

Orem, Utah, United States Win

Allen Crowder TKO (punches) Battle in the South 10

Wilmington, North Carolina, United States Win

Brad Faylor TKO (punches) Sugar Creek Showdown 23

Hinton, Oklahoma, United States Win

William Baptiste TKO (punches) XFO 53

Chicago, Illinois, United States Win

Lorenzo Hood TKO (doctor stoppage) XFO 51

Chicago, Illinois, United States