Curtis Blaydes bounced back from a loss to Francis Ngannou last November with an impressive win over Justin Willis at UFC Fight Night 148 on Saturday.
For a fight that featured plenty of trash-talking prior, it didn't offer a ton of electrifying moments. That's mostly because Blaydes, who is one of the UFC heavyweight division's most intriguing contenders, just about dominated every aspect of the fight from the get-go.
Blaydes relied on his high-level wrestling to control Justin Willis for all three rounds en route to a unanimous decision victory. He was aggressive from the start, scoring a takedown in just over a minute. Blaydes spent much of the first and second rounds staying heavy on the back of Willis, repeatedly slamming Willis back to the mat whenever he attempted to stand up.
The strategy proved effective as it rendered Willis's power useless. His constant worry of a takedown actually opened him up to a pretty powerful strike fro Blaydes that sent Willis stumbling backward.
Blaydes continuously landed short punches and blows while on Willis's back, racking up points that ultimately led to his win.
In his post-fight interview, Blaydes was asked who he would like to fight next. Turns out, he has quite a few people in mind: Junior dos Santos, Derrick Lewis, or Stipe Miocic.