Only a handful of heavyweights can say they’ve knocked out former UFC champion Junior dos Santos on the feet, and Curtis Blaydes is now one of them.
He’s not letting it go to his head.
In the main event of UFC Raleigh on Saturday, Blaydes closed the show with a second-round TKO of dos Santos that was set up by a stinging right hand. “Cigano” didn’t leave Blaydes much choice, stopping every takedown attempt from the junior college wrestling champion.
That grappling stalemate eventually led to Blaydes finishing dos Santos with strikes, a result that Blaydes admitted at a post-fight scrum only came about out of necessity.