Curtis Blaydes releases first statement since UFC 327 defeat

Curtis Blaydes gave everything he had against Josh Hokit at UFC 327 , but ultimately it wasn’t enough. The 35-year-old heavyweight veteran dropped a unanimous decision to Hokit in a “Fight of the Year” contender on Saturday at the Kaseya Center in Miami. After nearly being finished early by his upstart opponent, Blaydes rallied for a strong finish in Round 1.

However, Hokit gradually took control over the final 10 minutes to capture a unanimous decision triumph in a memorable slugfest. Blaydes paid tribute to his opponent in a brief statement on social media. “Emptied the clip, threw the gun,” Blaydes wrote on Instagram.

“That SOB is tougher to kill than he looks. ” One for the Record Books When all was said and done, Blaydes (177) and Hokit (174) combined to land 351 significant strikes, the most ever for a three-round UFC heavyweight fight. They also set a record for most combined significant strikes attempted (595).

The bout took its toll on Blaydes, who was hospitalized with a fractured orbital and a broken nose. “Did we save heavyweight chat? ” Blaydes added in the comments.