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Curtis Blaydes has admitted he ‘won’t get’ his ‘hopes up’ amid rumours of a fight with Tom Aspinall at UFC 304.
The UFC announced its return to the UK this week, with a pay-per-view event scheduled for 27 July at Manchester’s new Co-op Live arena. Aspinall, the interim heavyweight champion, and welterweight king Leon Edwards are both rumoured to defend their titles that night, with Blaydes among Aspinall’s potential opponents.
The American faced the Wigan fighter in London in 2022, with Aspinall suffering a knee injury just 15 seconds into the bout. That result remains Aspinall’s only loss in the UFC, and the 31-year-old has since gone 2-0, most recently knocking out Sergei Pavlovich in November to win the interim belt.
Meanwhile, Blaydes has gone 1-1, losing to Pavlovich via knockout in April 2023, before stopping Jailton Almeida last month. That victory, coupled with Blaydes’s past with Aspinall, has led many fans to suspect a rematch between the pair at UFC 304.
Yet Blaydes, 33, told MMA Fighting on Thursday (25 April): “I learned a while ago, I don’t get my hopes up.
“I don’t predict; I hope. It would be nice. Do I believe there’s a path? Do I believe it makes sense? Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to happen. All I can do is be prepared. I’ll be ready.”
“It makes all the sense in the world, but that don’t mean it’s going to happen. A lot of times, other match-ups have made more sense [than those made by the UFC]. Like me and my homie were just talking about when [Dan Henderson] came out of retirement, and he got a title shot [against Michael Bisping]. That makes no sense, but it happens.
“Would I be shocked if the UFC hit up Brock Lesnar and was like, ‘Do you want to go to England? Do you want to make a lot of money?’ and he said, ‘Yeah’? I would not be shocked if they brought in Brock Lesnar. I would be upset, but I wouldn’t be surprised.”
If Blaydes does get a shot at Aspinall’s interim belt, he will seemingly be unfazed by the Briton’s home support – just as he was when they fought in 2022.
“I don’t know why people make it a big deal,” Blaydes said. “Because once you’re in the octagon, the venue doesn’t have an impact. The boos? I don’t give a damn about boos. I’ll do it anywhere.
“If it has to be in England, that’s fine. I liked England besides the lack of air conditioning. They don’t have air conditioning, I don’t know why. It’s weird, I don’t get it, but that’s a thing out there.”
Aspinall has also been linked with a defence against light-heavyweight champion Alex Pereira, who previously held the middleweight title and this month hinted at a potential move to a third division – after knocking out Jamahal Hill to remain champion at UFC 300. Ciryl Gane, a former interim champion, has also been linked with Aspinall, but the Briton suggested this week that the Frenchman will be filming a movie this summer.
Edwards has also been rumoured to feature at UFC 304, likely defending his title against Belal Muhammad. The pair fought to a No Contest in 2021, with Edwards landing multiple eye pokes by accident.
The UFC 304 announcement was instantly met with criticism from fans, who hit out at the start times of 11pm for the prelims and 3am for the main card – timings that cater for a US audience.
