Curtis Blaydes
Active 2016–present · rated in 5 editions · peak overall 85.0
Scouting report
Holding the all-time UFC heavyweight record for most takedowns landed, Curtis "Razor" Blaydes is a wrestling-based fighter at 265 pounds. Born in Naperville, Illinois, the NJCAA national champion combined ground control with developing knockout power to finish Alistair Overeem, Junior dos Santos, and Chris Daukaus, his wrestling reflected in a 94 Wrestling rating and 93 Strength.
Peak ratings
By edition
Blaydes established his wrestling pedigree between 2016 and 2017, rebounding from a debut loss to Francis Ngannou to defeat Cody East, fight Adam Milstead to a no-contest and beat Daniel Omielanczuk in Las Vegas, and out-wrestle Alexey Oleinik at UFC 217 in Madison Square Garden. His NJCAA wrestling, double legs, and heavy ground strikes are reflected in a 92 Wrestling and 88 Cardio.
Blaydes beat Mark Hunt on a decision in Perth, stopped Alistair Overeem with elbows at UFC 225 in Chicago, and outpointed Justin Willis in Nashville and stopped Shamil Abdurakhimov in Abu Dhabi. His top rides and ground-and-pound anchor his 94 Wrestling and 90 Cardio.
Between 2020 and 2021, Blaydes stopped Junior dos Santos with punches in Raleigh, outpointed Alexander Volkov over five rounds in Las Vegas, lost by knockout to Derrick Lewis and then outpointed Jairzinho Rozenstruik at UFC 266. His takedown chain wrestling, top control, and pace justify his 95 Wrestling and 90 Cardio.
Blaydes stopped Chris Daukaus in Columbus, beat Tom Aspinall in London when Aspinall hurt his knee, and scored a second-round knockout of Jailton Almeida at UFC 299 in Miami to earn an interim title rematch against Aspinall at UFC 304 in Manchester, where Aspinall knocked him out in round one. His takedown defense and wrestling base maintain his 94 Wrestling and 88 Cardio.
Curtis Blaydes and the wrestler who rewrote the heavyweight takedown book
Curtis Blaydes went 44-0 as a senior at De La Salle in Chicago and won a state title, then took the national junior college heavyweight championship at Harper College in 2012. He carried that base into pro fighting in 2014 and built a heavyweight style around takedowns. The numbers show it: he is listed as the heavyweight division's all-time leader in takedowns landed and in control time. He set the single-fight heavyweight record with 14 takedowns against Alexander Volkov in 2020.
What each Blaydes number says
Boxing. Better than his image. Elbows from top position finished Alistair Overeem in round three in 2018.
Kickboxing. The weakest piece of his kit, and he does not build his offense around kicks.
Wrestling. The centerpiece. Volkov saw him land 14 takedowns from 25 attempts in June 2020.
BJJ. Good enough to hold position. His wins come from control and ground strikes, not from submission hunting.
Strength. Wrestler strength. He has more top position time than anyone in the heavyweight division.
Durability. Ngannou stopped him twice, Derrick Lewis knocked him out in 2021, and Sergei Pavlovich stopped him in 2023, so the chin is not his selling point.
Cardio. Strong. He took Justin Willis down repeatedly and won a decision, and his record for control time points to a pace he can keep up.
Fight IQ. He knows what works, and he spent years imposing it on Junior dos Santos and Mark Hunt.
Wrestling is why he wins fights
The wrestling number is at or near the top of his card in every rating version, and the record backs it up. He stopped dos Santos in round two in January 2020, beat Volkov on the scorecards, and got through nine first-round takedowns from Jailton Almeida before stopping him in round two in 2024. Draft him when your team needs someone to pull a fight to the floor.
Kickboxing is where he leaks: 72
He sits at 72 in kickboxing, well below the rest of his card. Pavlovich stopped him in round one in April 2023, and Lewis knocked him out in round two in 2021. A clean striker who can stay on the feet has the better chance of getting to him before the takedown arrives.
Keep exploring
Closest heavyweight profiles to Curtis Blaydes, measured by how near their peak attribute ratings sit across all eight categories.
- Brock Lesnarbest strength 98 · weakest kickboxing 66
- Cain Velasquezbest wrestling 96 · weakest kickboxing 80
- Stipe Miocicbest boxing 93 · weakest bjj 80
- Junior dos Santosbest boxing 95 · weakest bjj 76
- Heavyweight division guide: how the whole division rates and who to draft from it.
- Grappling vs striking in the draft: a guide that fits Curtis Blaydes's strongest attribute, Wrestling.
Draft Curtis Blaydes into your build
Curtis Blaydes enters the pool on any spin landing on heavyweight between 2016 and present. Spin, draft eight attributes, then simulate 25 fights.
Ratings shown are my own estimates, made with AI assistance and informed by how Curtis Blaydes is regarded by the MMA community. They are unofficial and do not constitute an assessment of Curtis Blaydes's real-world abilities. How the ratings are made. See the disclaimer below. Ratings and write-ups by Haaris A. Last reviewed 2026-09-30; spot an error? Tell us. Read our editorial standards.