For Curtis Blaydes, UFC 304 rematch with 'cool dude' Tom Aspinall feels model new

Curtis Blaydes has shared the octagon earlier than with UFC interim heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall earlier than – however not likely.

Once they first met in July 2022, all it took was one leg kick gone incorrect from Aspinall to endure a critical fight-ending knee damage in simply 15 seconds. Two years later, Aspinall (14-3 MMA, 7-1 UFC) and Blaydes (18-4 MMA, 13-4 UFC) are set to fulfill within the UFC 304 important occasion on July 27 at Co-Op Reside in Manchester, England.

And much as Blaydes is worried, it’s solely proper that they’ll face off for UFC gold.

“I knew that I’d have one other alternative to struggle him once more,” Blaydes informed MMA Junkie. “Whether or not or not it was for a belt, I wouldn’t have been in a position to guess it. However I feel it’s a little bit poetic that it’s for a belt.”

Pondering again to these 15 seconds, the one actual takeaway for Blaydes is that he remembers Aspinall being aggressive and unafraid to place himself inside vary of a takedown. “He got here at me quick and exhausting,” Blaydes mentioned.

Aside from, there’s nothing actually of use from their first encounter.

“Instantly after the struggle, as I’m not even out of my shorts but, I’m telling my coach, Vinny, ‘What can we get from this struggle?’” Blaydes mentioned. “Nothing occurred. I don’t know what to take from it. … There’s not an entire lot you’ll be able to take from a struggle that doesn’t even final half-a-minute.”

Including to the thriller is the truth that since Aspinall returned from a year-long layoff following their struggle, he’s received only a mixed 2:22 of cage time in two first-round finishes – TKO of Marcin Tybura in simply 1:13 adopted by his interim title-winning knockout of Sergei Pavlovich in 1:09 final November at UFC 295.

This doesn’t give Blaydes a lot to check by way of movie, however he is aware of higher than to imagine Aspinall isn’t a distinct fighter since they met.

“I’m not gonna assume that over the previous two-and-a-half years he hasn’t added anything to his recreation,” Blaydes mentioned. “He simply hasn’t had to make use of it. That’s to not say he doesn’t have it.”

Blaydes, who’s gained three of his previous 4 bouts, together with a second-round knockout of Jailton Almeida most not too long ago in March, looks like his first shot at UFC gold – interim or undisputed – has been a very long time coming. And it couldn’t have come towards a greater man than Aspinall.

“He’s a cool dude,” Blaydes mentioned. “There’s no beef. I don’t know if I’ll be capable of, however I wish to disperse the destructive narrative that it’s important to hate the man you’re gonna struggle. I’ve been an athlete since I used to be 9, by no means hated any of my opponents, gained so much – soccer, wrestling, jiu-jitsu, MMA. By no means hated anyone. You don’t should hate someone to bodily compete and do your greatest to win. I do know he’s gonna do his greatest to knock me out; I’m gonna do my greatest to knock him out. However there’s no animosity behind it. It’s simply that’s his job, that’s my job.”