Blaydes ‘One Step Closer’ To Fighting Big-Headed Lewis

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Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes was probably the second-happiest guy in the promotion — behind Derrick Lewis — to have “The Black Beast” defeat Aleksei Oleinik at UFC Vegas 6 last weekend in Las Vegas.

That’s because “Razor,” holding steady at No. 3 in the heavyweight rankings, is now one step closer to fighting the No. 4-ranked Lewis. A victory would not only settle their longstanding beef, but also move Blaydes into serious title contention.

“Derek showed some pretty good submission defense,” Blaydes told MMA News. “I don’t know if it was his technique or just the fact that he has a really big head. It was hard for Oleinik to submit him. But I was impressed by his defensive jiu-jitsu and he got the knockout. Happy for him because that means we’re one step closer to fighting.”

Blaydes (14-2, 1 NC) has won four straight and already disposed of ranked contenders like Junior dos Santos and Alistair Overeem, just to name a few. But “weird” fans are stuck with “Razor” until someone like Lewis can depose him.

“I feel like if you want to get rid of me, have Derrick do it,” Blaydes said. “Because I don’t think anybody else can do it. Like he’s your best shot. If the fans don’t want to hear me anymore, he’s the one to put me away. Because there won’t be anyone else.”

There’s always the winner of this bout.