UFC Fight Night 166, or UFC Raleigh, saw Curtis Blaydes beating Junior dos Santos, and also, Michael Chiesa posting a big win over Rafael dos Anjos.
The two contests which were highlighting the event at the PNC Arena drew massive attention.
Blaydes vs. dos Santos was the main fight of the night, and the fans had a chance to see a dominant win of the American. The “Razor” (13-2) TKOd his rival at 1:06 of the second round. He hit dos Santos’ (21-7) chin with an overhead right, and the Brazilian immediately lost his stance and balance.
After that, Blaydes saw an opportunity to close the battle, which he did, using a strong combination of knees, and punches forcing dos Santos to lean against the fence. Since he couldn’t defend himself at all, the judge in the ring stopped the fight.
This was Blaydes’s third victory in a row, following a loss against Francis Ngannou. Now, he wants a title shot.
“I want that title shot,” Blaydes said. “You know I’m next. I showed that wrestling, I showed those hands, I don’t know what else I need to do. I want that title shot.”
The current situation is not on his side, and according to many, it would be a huge sensation if UFC picks him to fight Stipe Miocic over Daniel Cormier and Ngannou.
That especially goes for the Cameroonian-born who not only defeated Blaydes twice, but in the meantime, had several other big wins, among others over dos Santos past January.
Also, right now, the hype for the third match between DC and Miocic is much more profitable than seeing Blaydes in the octagon with the champ. So, his wishes are legit, but the reality is completely different.
As for dos Santos, his time is slowly passing by, and it is evident that he can’t compete with top heavyweights anymore. He was once a dominant champ, with a versatile style of fight, but simply his 35 years are presenting a massive burden for “Cigano.”
Michael Chiesa (16-4) defeated Rafael dos Anjos (29-13) via unanimous decision, thus notching his third triumph in the welterweight division.
Throughout the entire contest, the American was initiating takedowns and grappling battle, as he wanted to avoid to fight from a distance. It is pretty safe to say that his tactics gave excellent results because all the judges gave him an advantage on the scorecards – 30-27, 29-28, and 29-28.
During the interview in the ring, Chiesa called out his next target, which is Colby Covington, who recently lost to Kamaru Usman in the fight for the unification of welterweight titles.
“Colby Covington, see you in July,” he said.
Having in mind that Covington still recovers from that bout, which saw him breaking a jaw, and that he has other options, that fight is also unlikely to happen. Anyway, Chiesa revealed his wishes. According to his words, a win over Colby would be his ticket to the title fight.
“I’m just trying to get to a world title, and I think that is the fight that makes the most sense when you look at the top five,” Chiesa added.
We are anxious to see what happens next in this case.
