Outside Source
Blaydes recently revealed that he wants to hang up his MMA gloves while he is in the UFC. Blaydes draws inspiration from veterans like Drew Dober and Neil Magny, who have both been in the UFC for over a decade and have gradually assumed the roles of gatekeepers in their divisions. While Blaydes wants to leave behind a legacy like theirs in the UFC, he wouldn’t mind a big boxing match at the end of his combat sports career. Blaydes wants to box former UFC foe Francis Ngannou, who did well for himself financially in boxing after retiring from the UFC.
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“I look at guys for inspiration like Drew Dober, Neil Magny. I want to be like them,” Blaydes told Home of Fight. “I want to be in the UFC as long as I can, and I want to end with the UFC. I want to have a legacy like theirs. I could see myself at the end maybe taking a random boxing match against Francis Ngannou, if he is active still. Something like that just on the way out. But in terms of MMA, I do believe that I will only be with the UFC and when I do end, it will be with the UFC. And I will be happy with that.”
Shared History
Blaydes (19-6) made his UFC debut against Ngannou in 2016, where his bloodied eye led to a doctor’s stoppage at the end of the second round. Blaydes then went on a six-fight unbeaten streak before facing Ngannou in a rematch in 2018. “The Predator” knocked Blaydes out cold in 45 seconds in their rematch. Blaydes is coming off a unanimous decision loss against Josh Hokit in a “Fight of the Night” slugfest at UFC 327 this past April.
Meanwhile, Ngannou left the UFC in 2023 over a contract dispute. Ngannou then lost a controversial split decision in a boxing match against Tyson Fury before being knocked out by Anthony Joshua. Ngannou has competed only twice in MMA since, most recently knocking out Philipe Lins on a Most Valuable Promotions card last month.
This article first appeared at Recent News on Sherdog.com
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