The Herd with Colin Cowherd - Daniel Cormier TV - Curtis Blaydes on DETHRONING Tom Aspinall: "I've BEEN through ADVERSITY"

Episode Date: July 27, 2024

Daniel Cormier sits down with Curtis Blaydes, the man who will try to take Tom Aspinall's interim heavyweight championship at UFC 304 in Manchester, England. DC and Blaydes go through the first fight between the two, and what Curtis will look to apply in their rematch Saturday. Plus, Curtis Blaydes talks to Daniel about being the UFC's second option behind Ciryl Gane for this fight. And don't miss Blaydes GO IN ON why he has the upper hand and what has changed for him since the Jailton Almedia fight. 1:30 - Blaydes vs. Jailton Almeida3:15 - Curtis on taking the spot of Ciryl Gane4:30 - Strategy in the rematch5:15 - First fight between Blaydes and Asinall6:15 - Aspinall will face adversity8:00 - Becoming new heavyweight champ8:45 - Denver sports teams (Timestamps vary based on ads) #Volume #Herd See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter.

Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying.

Yep, that's me, Clifford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfills of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast.

And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential. Either way, the podcast's superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I put on 10. I was having trouble

stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. The volume. Okay, so to me, the sports fan, there are only two days, guys, in the entire sports calendar where we have no sports.

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Age varies by jurisdiction. Void in Ontario. Bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance. See dkng.com slash B-Ball for eligibility and deposit restrictions, terms, and responsible gaming resources. All right, guys. It's Curtis Blaze. Thanks for checking in with him, my friend. Takes on time, Massplan, all this weekend for the heavyweight championship.

Curtis, long time coming, right? You've been in this division for a long time. You've been around the top for a long time. When you won that last fight, did you finally feel like it would be your time to get a title shot? I did, mostly because I could feel the fan support. I never had. I'm used to always being like people don't like my style aesthetically.

It just don't like the wrestling. I think because I didn't use wrestling, everyone was on my side. But he was wrestling. Yeah, he was wrestling. I didn't realize how much hate he was going to get. I'm looking at the comments, everyone. Owen likes that. I don't know that.

So I guess I did a lot of people a favor for that one. He seemed like the kind of like the darling, like he's beating everybody's winning guys. But he just, did you realize very early? I swear I knew immediate. I was like, oh, this is a mistake. He's trying to wrestle too much. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Against a guy that wrestled so well.

Like, did you know right away like, okay, you can take me down right now, but I know as this fight goes on, I'm going to start to kind of take, pull myself away from that. I don't know if you remember my vocal fight. I did that, and I could feel that was his game plan. But I know it's not easy to do that. Just take a guy down over and over, especially without the damage. He wouldn't open up his grip.

And a lot of people are like, how was he able to just take you down like that? Because I allowed it. I wasn't going to resist, resist. I'm not going to burn energy for nothing if he's not hitting me. So I knew after a round like that, there's no way he's going to be able to do that again. Yeah, he was completely spent. And then you went to work, landed that beautiful common shot that put him out. Getting that finish was also very important for you, right?

To be able to win in that way. Because you finished him, right? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, to have that finish was very important for you to earn a title shot. But then it becomes Tom Aspinall and Cyril Gahn is saying he got the call. And everybody's getting this call. So how did it work for you? Like, how did it ultimately become you fighting Tom Aspenon?

I'm going to be 100. UFC asks gone first and they let us know. Like, hey, we're asking God. We're going to give him a week or who to decide. If he says no, it's all yours. So I know I was the consolation, but I'm here. It doesn't matter. Yeah.

That's why when, when. somebody was speaking of Tom when he won the belt, he was very emotional. And they said, well, what was the interim championship? It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. The joy is the same. It will be the same.

If you win that belt, it doesn't matter that they asked Sir O'Gon to fight for the belt first. I don't care. Like, like I said, I'm here now. I don't know why he didn't want the opportunity. Well, no, I do know why. They said he was making a movie or something. Yeah, the movie.

I didn't want to release it, but you said it. But would you make a movie or take a title fight? I got offered. I was actually offered. What's the name of the movie? Yeah, Smashing Machine. I was offered to be one of the rocks in the movie, like, in the movie, like, Jim

Partner. And we were going to do it. We were going to go up to Vancouver, like, May 16th, and it got pushed to, like, June 14th. And I was like, after that, I had the fight, so I picked fight over the movie. Hopefully, I win the fight, get more movie offers. You know, Tom Aspinall is your opponent this weekend, and many now feel, like, he may be the future of the heavyweight division, right?

That's something that you've dealt with before. What can you apply from those earlier lessons from fighting the Francis and Gannus and all those other guys that you can apply to this fight this weekend against Tom Asperon? Well, physically, I'm just going to be me. But mentally, I've been the underdog. I've been the less talked about guy for years. I don't, doesn't really bother me. I'm not in this for fame.

I'm in it for money. security and I do want a legacy but I don't want like fame like people asking for pictures and all that I don't need that so it doesn't really affect me when I don't get headlines and stuff yeah can you take anything from the first fight like what you felt from him I know that the fight was very short but can you take anything from the build right because you got in his face multiple times stare-in-ounce stood in the octagon with that man what can you take from that experience that you can try to apply to this fight He's aggressive.

He's not afraid to open up and give me the opportunity to take him down. I get that in and out, in and out, that's who he is. Because you never, whenever guys face me, they always, like, adjust their whole style. They don't want to get taken out. Almeida, he normally opens up with that big kick. He didn't do it that time. Why can he worry about getting taken down? We were, we didn't know what to expect out of aspirin all the first time.

now we kind of do he's going to do him because he believes in his speed and athleticism we're going to see who's better he was able to beat pavlovich in the way that he did do you think that's a good thing for a fighter like that in that big moment to have

that moment or you think he should have gotten a little bit battle tested because at times when people have that happen over and over again they don't know how to deal with things when they start to go sideways and with a guy like you who's able to wrestle. A guy like you was able to push your pace and bend in the game so long,

you can cause him those problems. Do you think that that win in that way in his first championship opportunity could be a negative thing? I guess it's all about, like how you just laid it out. He hasn't really had to go through any adversity.

I've experienced a lot of adversity ups and downs, all that I've lost rounds. So yeah, I think when he first does experience adversity, who knows how going to react, but I know how I'm going to react because I've already experienced adversity. So what happened Saturday night, or Sunday morning?

Sunday morning. You guys are fighting in the middle of the night. Like, I don't even know. I figure, hey, Curtis, I'm going to be tired. So I can only imagine I had a fight once in Australia where I was sleeping on the table and my manager was like giving me coffee because I was so tired. Like, what are you doing

specifically to prepare yourself? Are you guys like staying up all night? When did you get here? Like, how are you prepping yourself for that? We got here Monday evening around like four. We stayed up that day, went to bed at ordinary time. We're waking up a little earlier

every day, so by Sunday morning, we should be waking up at like 3 a.m. So that's the plan. But that's when you guys are going to fight probably, right? Like 4.30? 5 o'clock in the morning. You went for a long night.

I mean, a long morning. I'm going to drink some coffee, though. Red Bull. Red Bull. I've been drinking Red Bull all day. Monster energy. Oh. Monster energy.

Yeah, much better product. Months image is a much better product. Much better product. I'm all about monster energy. Yeah, yeah. That's what I'm doing. I like that, Curtis. I appreciate it.

Yeah. What would it mean to you to become the world champion? It means everything. It's like I made a lot of small decisions that led me up to this, and it would be

a validation of all those little decisions. You know, I'm going to let you go here on this last one. But I noticed you were in the Bronx mile high, Denver Nuggets. Jersey, right? You have a chance to become

a UFC champion this weekend. I know you're proud of where you live and where you're from. But they completely shit the bed. The Nuggets. They're terrible. Do you feel more pressure now to have to do something good for Denver because the Broncos suck? The Nuggets shit the bed in the playoffs.

You are their only hope. You don't? Yeah, you are. The good thing about the city of Denver, They won a Super Bowl like what, eight years ago. That's recent. That's more recent than the Bears. The Bears haven't won since 85.

Yeah, I know that's terrible. So you're from Chicago, too. Yeah, yeah, I'm from Chicago. So you're just from two shit places because the bulls suck, the Bears suck. Bears got hope. Bears got hope. You get a quarterback and you think y'all got hope? Yes.

I'm a bear's fan. Y'all just had a quarterback last year. I was Justin Fields. I was a different guy. Oh, my God. Look at how fast they jumped. I was a different guy. This is the problem.

Bears fans, Broncos fans. I would have brought his jersey, but he's not on the team no more. Well, at least you're loyal. I'm very good. We were discussing that earlier. If, where are you from? I'm from Lafayette, Louisiana, man. I love the saints.

I wore a trash bag. I wore a brown bag. You from Lafayette? I said. Okay. From Lafayette. If you were not from Lafayette and I asked you where were you from, would you still say Lafayette or would you say where you're actually from? Where I'm actually from.

Okay. We were having a debate about that. Really? This guy, he's not from Denver. He's from Lakewood. He's from Lakewood. He should be saying he's from Lakewood. That's disrespectful, A, and honestly, like, and honestly,

if you win the belt this weekend, don't let him touch it. He don't deserve it because he's a turn court. No, no, no. He'll turn on you as fast as he turns on Lakewood. He's been here. He's been here, but it don't matter. It doesn't do that. Guys, Curtis Blades challenges Tom Aspenol for the UFC interim championship this weekend

at UFC 304. Make sure you tap into everything this man is doing Instagram, X. Do people still do Facebook? I do. It's kind of old anyway. You just like Facebook. Guys and everything else, hit the pay-per-view-by button. ESPN Plus pay-per-view.

Make sure you watch UFC 304. It goes down. Curtis Bates, maybe become a UFC champion. We'll follow that soon. Thanks for checking in, Curtis. I appreciate you. Until next time, guys. Peace.

Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests. from Bob Odenk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, S&L's Mikey Day

and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the I-Heart Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor the Fourth. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfilled conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Imagine an Olympics where doping is not only legal but encouraged. It's the enhanced games. Some call it grotesque. Others say it's unleashing human potential.

Either way, the podcast's Superhuman documented it all, embedded in the games and with the athletes for a full year. Within probably 10 days, I'd put on 10 pounds. I was having trouble stopping the muscle growth. Listen to Superhuman on the I-Hard radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an I-Heart podcast. Guaranteed Human.