UFC contender Curtis Blaydes doesn’t believe UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic’s claims he is unable to train in Ohio due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a tweet posted Friday, Blaydes (13-2 MMA, 8-2 UFC) questioned recent statements made by Miocic (19-3 MMA, 13-3 UFC), in which he made clear he’s taking his time on booking a trilogy fight with Daniel Cormier due to his home state of Ohio’s shutdown of non-essential businesses.
Blaydes, however thinks Miocic is just making excuses to delay his return to the UFC cage.
“Any professional athlete but especially a pro fighter needs to take responsibility for their training, this pandemic hasn’t forced me to miss one workout,” Blaydes wrote. “Stipe is tripping if he thinks (people) believe he can’t train (because) his coach can’t open the gym up”
With Miocic out of action since regaining the title from Cormier (22-2 MMA, 11-2 UFC) in August, a logjam of contenders has formed. Bladyes is one. Francis Ngannou is another. Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 8 features a meeting between Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris.
Then, there’s Cormier, who UFC president Dana White has said will get the next title shot.
Blaydes has voiced his frustration with the division in the past. At UFC 247 in February, Blaydes shared his disappointment in his situation with MMA Junkie saying, “It’s a bit depressing when you think about it, which is why I don’t think about it as much.”
Blaydes has not competed since a UFC on ESPN+ 24 victory over Junior Dos Santos in January. He’s on a three-fight winning streak with back-to-back TKOs. His two losses in the UFC have both come against Ngannou (15-3 MMA, 10-2 UFC).
Blaydes is currently booked to face Russian fighter Alexander Volkov (31-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC) on June 20 at a location to be announced. The fight was originally scheduled to headline a UFC event in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The status of the event is unknown at this time.
