Curtis Blaydes knows even with a win over Alexander Volkov this weekend that he’s still not the next person in line for a heavyweight title shot but there’s still a lot on the line when he competes in his second straight main event.
With contract negotiations looming, the 29-year-old contender is looking to build on his second-round TKO against former heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos in his last outing. While Volkov sits behind him in the official UFC rankings, Blaydes still saw this matchup as an opportunity to earn a paycheck and take out another viable heavyweight contender as he waits for his chance to fight for gold.