UFC 299 video: Curtis Blaydes stuffs takedown, brutally knocks out Jailton Almeida in second round

Curtis Blaydes may be looking at a title shot in his next fight after he scored a brutal second round knockout over Jailton Almeida in the featured prelim at UFC 299.

Following a tough start where he got taken down multiple times in the first round, Blaydes bounced back by stuffing Almeida’s grappling attempt at the start of the second round and he just blasted away with hammer fists until the Brazilian wilted under the pressure. The repeated blows forced Almeida to let go of the takedown as he rolled over and covered his head with Blaydes continuing to punch away until the referee stopped the fight before further damage was dished out.

The end came at just 36 seconds into the second round as Blaydes picked up a massive win to potentially set up a rematch with interim UFC heavyweight champion Tom Aspinall later this year.

“When he shoots we noticed he shoots with his head down so I use my belly to push down on the back of his head,” Blaydes explained about the finish. “I made his head look to the ground, he couldn’t drive up to me and I got the hammer fists on him.

“I believe me and Aspinall got some unfinished business. I’d like to get that one next.”

Well known for his grappling prowess, it didn’t take long for Almeida to drop for a takedown and once he got inside on Blaydes, he wouldn’t let him go. Almeida continuously found ways to drag Blaydes to the canvas as the former college wrestler kept making him work by repeatedly getting back to his feet.

The only problem was Almeida seemingly didn’t throw a single strike in the opening round so it was clear that his game plan revolved around the takedowns and not much else.

He paid for that strategy at the start of the second round after Almeida shot inside and Blaydes stuffed him down to the canvas and then started unloading hammer fists in succession. After several shots landed to the side of the head, Almeida went limp momentarily before he fell to his side to cover up as Blaydes continued to punish him from the top.

That led to the stoppage with Blaydes scoring the second round knockout win and now he’s hoping to see Aspinall later this year after their first fight ended in disappointing fashion. On that night in July 2022, the fight had barely started when Aspinall suffered a devastating knee injury that stopped the contest at just 15 seconds into the opening round.

Now the stars appear aligned for a rematch with Blaydes seeking a title shot against Aspinall when they meet again.