Curtis Blaydes called out a man who could be in line to face Tom Aspinall for the UFC heavyweight title.
Blaydes was among those tasked with introducing live UFC action to the nation of Azerbaijan, as MMA’s leading promotion debuted in the country on Saturday.
The longtime contender and former interim title challenger featured on the UFC Baku main card, defending his top-five ranking against debutant and ex-PFL standout Rizvan Kuniev.
After surviving some hard blows and seemingly fighting through a torn MCL, Blaydes had his hand raised by way of a widely debated split decision.
Moving forward, ‘Razor’ knows what he wants next.
Curtis Blaydes calls out Ciryl Gane after tight win over debuting Rizvan Kuniev
The UFC heavyweight division is in an uncertain period, as Jon Jones continues to avoid Tom Aspinall and their long called-for unification fight.
With the champion frequently hinting at retirement rather than facing the English heavyweight, talk has turned to which contender Aspinall could fight instead.
The leading candidates appear to be former interim titleholder Ciryl Gane, surging Brazilian powerhouse Jailton Almeida, and a mainstay of the division in Alexander Volkov.
But ‘Razor’ looked to eliminate one name from that equation, calling out the Frenchman for an October clash during his post-fight Octagon interview with Michael Bisping in Baku.
Jailton Almeida mocks Curtis Blaydes for UFC Baku performance
Blaydes was self-critical of his display against newcomer Kuniev, and one of his prominent peers seemingly wasn’t impressed either.
As he continues to stake his claim for a title shot against Aspinall in Jones’ expected absence, Almeida evidently doesn’t believe he should remain below Blaydes in the rankings.
The Brazilian’s post on X comes amid many in the MMA community questioning the judges’ decision to score against Kuniev, who appeared to boost his stock even in defeat.
It remains to be seen how the UFC will view Blaydes’ proposed next matchup.
With Dana White suggesting the heavyweight picture will become clearer in the coming weeks, ‘Razor’ may not have too long to wait before finding out.