The Fight: Alistair Overeem V Curtis Blaydes (UFC 225)
By: Andrew Hickey
The man simply known as “The Reem” returns to action this coming Saturday when he faces off against one of the few heavyweight prospects to breakthrough in recent years in Curtis “Razor” Blaydes.
Long heralded as the best technical striker in heavyweight MMA, Overeem has been betrayed by a chin that has seen him finished due to strikes five times over the course of his UFC tenure. Most recently a highlight reel loss to Francis Ngannou that will long be remembered as one of the most devastating knockouts ever seen inside the octagon.
Blaydes comes into the fight on the back of a four fight win streak and one no contest due to a failed test for Marijuana. His last outing against Mark Hunt saw a dominant display of wrestling in the second and third stanzas after being rocked by the hard hitting Kiwi in the opener. A win that solidified his transition from prospect to contender. The victory saw him enter the official rankings at #4 and open a path to the title through former challenger Overeem.
The Game Plan:
In recent years, the once marauding Overeem has implemented a strategy based heavily on defensive movement.The goal being to try and avoid the power strikes of his opponents that he has shown to be susceptible to. None more so than in his title challenge loss at UFC 203 to Stipe Miocic was this as evident.
In this time he has used his pinpoint striking(73% success rate on total strikes) and quick footwork to pick apart a plethora of top 10 ranked opponents. His strong take down defence (76%) has also ensured he has been able to keep the fight standing. The submission game used to strong effect in his dominant Dream/Strikeforce run seems to now be a thing of the past.
Blaydes comes in a NJCAA national wrestling champion. He has a wrestle heavy style and has attempted 53 takedowns in his 6 UFC fights.He has landed with a conversion rate of 55% but has also shown that he can be taken down at times. He has the power to hurt on the floor or standing up and is known to have a high level of cardio for a heavyweight. Against high level strikers Francis Ngannou and Mark Hunt, Blaydes lacked the technical nuance to strike effectively with them and again had to look to his wrestling for help.
The Prediction:
The bout is the age old tale of striker v grappler, but it one that comes to soon in the career of Blaydes. He has not yet developed the level of striking to truly compete with the top tier opponents he will now face as a top five ranked heavyweight. Overeem’s strong TDD enables him to keep the fight standing and along with his world class striking ensure he outpoints Blaydes on the feet while avoiding a fight ending shot.
Curtis showed his crazy toughness in his bout with Francis Ngannou and will be game for the entire duration of the bout. The end result? A 30-27 decision for the former Strikeforce champion. Curtis Blaydes time will come, just not this Saturday as experience will prevail.
Overeem On Points
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