Curtis Blaydes: Beating Tom Aspinall leads to winner of Ciryl Gane vs. Tai Tuivasa

LONDON – Curtis Blaydes thinks the UFC set up a mini-heavyweight tournament.

Blaydes (16-3 MMA, 11-3 UFC) meets Tom Aspinall (12-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 208 main event, which takes place at The O2 in London. The card streams on ESPN+.

On the other side of the “heavyweight bracket,” former interim champion Ciryl Gane takes on Tai Tuivasa in the main event of a UFC Fight Night event in Paris on Sept. 3, and Blaydes expects to face the winner.

“A win over Tom puts me waiting for the winner of Ciryl Gane and (Tai Tuivasa),” Blaydes told MMA Junkie on Wednesday at a pre-fight news conference. “I think we all know that. That’s why the UFC has set up these fights. We knew this back in February when Tom fought, Tuivasa fought, I fought. They were setting this up six months in advance, so I’ll probably get the winner of that fight, and then the winner of that fight will get a title shot.”

Although Aspinall is ranked below him, Blaydes still sees a win over the Brit as a good name to add on his resume.

“He’s been very impressive,” Blaydes said. “He’s not your standard big, slow, plodding heavyweight. He throws combinations, he’s athletic, he has a bounce, he’s a respectable opponent, and a win over him is legitimate. Some guys you beat, you know, I’m way, way, way better, you have no reason to be in the octagon with me. He belongs in the octagon. He’s legit.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 208.