Curtis Blaydes says he has no interest in playing along with Josh Hokit's pre-fight antics ahead of their heavyweight clash at UFC 327 in Miami.
Blaydes, 19-5 in MMA and 14-5 in the UFC, meets the unbeaten Hokit (8-0 MMA, 2-0 UFC) on Saturday at Kaseya Center, with both also set to appear at Thursday’s pre-fight news conference in the same venue.
“He just wants the clips,” Blaydes said, pointing to Hokit's confrontational style with other fighters. “Like, I seen the one with Jiri. He just wants people to be like, 'Look, he's talking sh*t to Jiri.' Because Jiri is a professional. He's not going to beat the sh*t out of you in the hotel lobby. Neither will I, because we're going to do it this weekend. So, engage with him right now. Any day besides this weekend is a waste of time.”
Blaydes, returning from a 10-month layoff due to knee surgery and recovery, said the UFC offered him the unranked Hokit after Hokit called him out. He compared Hokit's approach to other loud personalities, adding, “I'm not going to respond. That's what he wants. He wants the views. He wants to get that viral (moment), like (Conor) McGregor, 'Who the f*ck is that guy?' He wants that. I'm not going to give you what I want. I'm going to be dry – very, very dry.”
Looking past Saturday, Blaydes outlined his target if he gets the job done. “I'm hoping to get the winner of Waldo (Cortes-Acosta) and (Alexander) Volkov (at UFC 328), that's what I'm hoping. ... I know after this one I'm not going to get a title shot but I know if I win this one and I get somebody ranked above me and I beat them, why wouldn't I be in contention for a title shot?”
