UFC free fight: Curtis Blaydes batters Shamil Abdurakhimov

When Curtis Blaydes gets a hold of you, chances are that you’re in for a long night.

Blaydes’ grappling was on full display when he faced Shamil Abdurakhimov last September at UFC 242 in Abu Dhabi.

Blaydes was able to immediately get the fight to the ground and Abdurakhimov had a very hard time getting Blaydes off of him. Abdurakhimov did a good job of not taking too much damage in Round 1, but in the final 10 seconds, Blaydes rained down heavy ground-and-pound until the bell.

In Round 2, Blaydes continued with his suffocating pressure, getting Abdurakhimov back down to the mat and this time busting him wide open with brutal ground-and-pound that ended the fight.

Blaydes (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) would go on to win his next two in a row as he edges closer to a title shot. He returns to action Saturday against Derrick Lewis (24-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) in the main event of UFC on ESPN 18, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Before he faces Lewis, relive Blaydes’ finish of Abdurakhimov in the video above.