Curtis Blaydes (photo via UFC)

By FCF Staff

Curtis Blaydes understands that he will not be challenging for the UFC’s heavyweight title next, but the rising star continues to bash the promotion’s decision to give Brock Lesnar a title shot.

Blaydes began campaigning for a title shot after he took out Alistair Overeem in dominant fashion in June. Not long after, however, the UFC announced that Lesnar will fight new champ, Daniel Cormier, sometime in early 2019. Lesnar is still completing a one year suspension he was handed by USADA, and has no official wins on his record since 2010.

Recently Blaydes spoke with MMA Fighting, and while doing so, he had this to say about Lesnar’s title shot.

“I hate it. It just slows down our positions, slows down progress, because the ultimate goal is to get to the title, and it’s like, it’s already [decided],” Blaydes said. “I thought the purpose of us fighting is to prove who gets the title shot, and then Brock Lesnar, who hasn’t fought in two years and hasn’t had a legitimate win in eight years, because even when he beat Mark Hunt, that win was negated because he tested positive, so a guy like him who jumps in off the strength of his popularity — and don’t get me wrong, I know he’s very popular, just like CM Punk is very popular. That doesn’t mean he’s good. That’s not what that means.

“Like, Will Smith is very popular. You think Will Smith can go in there at 185 and get a title shot? No. Brock Lesnar, he’s going to go fight for the title, go make beaucoup money, and he’s going to go get knocked out. He’s not good. It’s weird how MMA fans are, like, just fascinated by his muscles. Like, they just like to see a big guy with his physique in the Octagon. They don’t believe he can win, they just like to see him in Octagon. I don’t get it. Maybe they just like his tattoos, I don’t know.”

Blaydes has gone 5-1, with 1 no-contest, in the UFC thus far.