UFC 242 Under the Radar: Curtis Blaydes vs Shamil Abdurakhimov

UFC 242 Under the Radar: Curtis Blaydes vs Shamil Abdurakhimov

By Bryan Perkins

With UFC 242 upcoming this weekend people are unsurprisingly most excited for the main event Khabib Nurmagomedov vs Dustin Poirier along with the co-main event which sees Edson Barboza take on Paul Felder in a fight that is destined to cause fireworks.

One fight that doesn’t seem to be getting much attention is the heavyweight clash between Curtis Blaydes and Shamil Abdurakhimov. I personally can’t wait for this fight and here’s why people should be paying more attention.

Blaydes is one of the most underappreciated fighters on the entire UFC roster. There is a popular narrative amongst fans that he is a ‘boring’ fighter due to his wrestling heavy style. This narrative has meant many people haven’t been paying attention to how impressive his performances have been in his last 5 fights.

Blaydes is 4-1 in his last 5 fights which were all against opponents in the top 10 of the division. Blaydes has shown not only an incredible wrestling ability in his UFC career so far but also a sound tactical awareness to go with it.

An example of this was when he was clearly outstriking Alistair Overeem in the 3rd round of their fight but still decided to take the fight to the ground where he felt he had a bigger advantage. This decision ultimately led to an impressive knockout victory.

His only losses so far in his MMA career have been to Francis Ngannou who is the hardest hitter in the heavyweight division.

At the young age of 28 he is only getting better, something he showed in his most dominant performance yet in his last fight against Justin Willis. People may prefer to watch slug fests on the feet but one thing is for sure, they shouldn’t underestimate Blaydes due to his wrestling heavy style because he is going to be a top contender for years to come.

Shamil Abdurakhimov is also on a hot streak of 5 wins and 2 losses since joining the UFC in 2015 despite being in the twilight of his career at the age of 38.

Abdurakhimov put on one of his most impressive performances yet in his last time out against Marcin Tybura as he was able to get the better in the striking exchanges and knock the polish fighter out in the second round.

This was in a fight many believed Abdurakhimov’s only advantage would be his superior wrestling. Abdurakhimov despite his age is a very well rounded fighter who shouldn’t be overlooked in this fight.

These two heavyweights have proven to be worthy contenders and their fight on Saturday night could have huge implications for the heavyweight division.

Stipe Miocic’s victory over Daniel Cormier at UFC 241 has left the heavyweight title picture unclear. There has been speculation of a trilogy fight between Cormier and Miocic, whilst Francis Ngannou has called for another shot at the belt and a chance to avenge his loss to Miocic.

Given that it is not clear who is in line for the next title shot the fight on Saturday night could put Blaydes or Abdurakhimov in the title picture. If one of them is able to put on a decisive performance they could be just one fight away from a shot at the belt meaning this is certainly a fight you don’t want to miss.