Curtis Blaydes admitted he ‘won’t get his hopes up’ amid rumors of a fight with Tom Aspinall at the UFC 304.
The UFC announced its return to the UK this week, with a pay-per-view event scheduled for July 27 at Manchester’s new Co-op Live arena. Aspinall, the interim heavyweight championand welterweight king Leon Edwards both are rumored to defend their titles that night, with Blaydes among Aspinall’s potential opponents.
The American faced the Wigan fighter in London in 2022, with Aspinall suffered a knee injury just 15 seconds into the fight. That result remains Aspinall’s only loss in the UFC, and the 31-year-old has since gone 2-0, most recently knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in November to win the interim belt.
Meanwhile, Blaydes went 1-1, losing to Pavlovich by knockout in April 2023, before stopping Jailton Almeida last month. This victory, combined with Blaydes’ past with Aspinall, led many fans to suspect a rematch between the two at UFC 304.
However, Blaydes, 33, said MMA fight on Thursday (April 25): “I learned a while ago, I don’t have much hope.
“I don’t predict it; I expect. It would be good. Do I believe there is a way? I believe it makes sense? Yes, but that doesn’t mean it will happen. All I can do is be prepared. I’ll be ready.
“It makes all the sense in the world, but it doesn’t mean it will happen. Often, other matchups made more sense [than those made by the UFC]. Like me and my homie were talkin’ ’bout when [Dan Henderson] Came out of retirement and got a title shot [against Michael Bisping]. This doesn’t make sense, but it happens.
“I would be shocked if the UFC approached Brock Lesnar and said, ‘Do you want to go to England? Do you want to earn a lot of money? and he said, ‘Yes’? I wouldn’t be shocked if they brought in Brock Lesnar. I would be upset, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”
If Blaydes gets a shot at Aspinall’s interim belt, he apparently won’t mind the Brit’s domestic support – just as he did when they fought in 2022.
“I don’t know why people make such a big deal out of it,” Blaydes said. “Because once you’re in the octagon, the location has no impact. The boos? I don’t give a shit about boos. I’ll do it anywhere.
“If it has to be in England, that’s fine. I liked England besides the lack of air conditioning. They don’t have air conditioning, I don’t know why. It’s strange, I don’t understand, but that’s a thing.”
Aspinall has also been linked with a defense against light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who previously held the middleweight title and this month hinted at a possible move to the third division – after knocking out Jamahal Hill to remain champion at UFC 300. Ciryl Gane, the former interim champion, has also been linked with Aspinall, but the Brit suggested this week that the Frenchman will make a film this summer.
There are also rumors that Edwards will participate in UFC 304, likely defending his title against Belal Muhammad. The pair fought to a No Contest in 2021, with Edwards landing several blows to the eyes by accident.
The announcement of UFC 304 was immediately met with criticism from fans, starting at 11pm for the prelims and 3am for the main card – times that cater to the North American audience.
