LAS VEGAS – Curtis Blaydes isn’t the type of guy to talk trash, but he’s also not one to hold back his opinion, either.

So as Blaydes surveyed the UFC heavyweight landscape following his impressive January win over former champ Junior Dos Santos, he realized there was only one logical matchup on the horizon: Alexander Volkov.

“After I beat Junior, I knew it was going to be Volkov,” Blaydes told MMA Junkie. “I knew they weren’t going to give me Derrick Lewis. They don’t want him to lose, and they know if they gave him me, I would destroy him, so I knew he was off the table. I knew it had to be Volkov, so as soon as it was offered, I said yes.”

Blaydes (13-2 MMA, 5-2 UFC) and Volkov (31-7 MMA, 5-1 UFC) now meet in the main event of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 11, which airs on ESPN and streams on ESPN+ from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.

Blaydes currently sits at No. 4 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings, with Volkov checking in at No. 7, so it’s certainly a meaningful fight in the division. However, Blaydes believes his wrestling prowess will prove beneficial in the matchup.

“I respect every opponent,” Blaydes said. “I know he’s got skills. I know he’s efficient in striking, but I also know he’s not the best grappler in the world. I know he’s not the caliber grappler I am, and I believe I have the better conditioning.”

Blaydes has been steadily building as a title contender since his 2016 debut in the promotion. However, his stock rose to an all-time high with his win over Dos Santos. Blaydes said he does appreciate the added attention, but it doesn’t change any beliefs or expectations he had for himself.

“I already knew I was somebody,” Blaydes said. “I guess it opened other people’s eyes, which is good, because the more eyes on you, the more Instagram followers, the more Twitter followers, the better pay sponsorships you get, so I do appreciate everyone else’s eyes being opened, but I’ve always known I was good. I’ve been good my whole life, ever since high school. I won state in high school. I won juco nationals. I’m used to this. This isn’t out of the norm for me.”

In Volkov, Blaydes will face another striking specialist, albeit one with a 6-foot-7 frame. However, “Razor” doesn’t seem overly worried about any height discrepancies.

“He’s going to shrink,” Blaydes said. “He’s going to get in a deep stance, a more defensive stance, because he’s not going to want to give his hips us. Guys when they face me, they adjust to me. I don’t adjust to them.”

A win would likely leave him second in line for a title shot behind the only man that’s ever beaten him, Francis Ngannou. Blaydes understands his position and has said he’ll wait to see how Stipe Miocic vs. Daniel Cormier 3 plays out on Aug. 15 before determining his next move.

After all, Cormier has promised to retire after the fight, and Miocic has admitted he might not be long for the sport either, so Blaydes sees a few ways he might be summoned for a title shot sooner rather than later.

And should it happen to be against Ngannou, fine, but he’s not actively pursuing any revenge.

“I mean, everyone puts so much power on Ngannou,” Blaydes said. “It’s not like I lie awake at night, thinking about beating him. It’s just a fight. He won. He knocked me out. I’m over it. If it’s him that I get to fight against, yeah, it would be nice to get that back. But if it’s not him, I’m not going to be like, ‘No, I’m not going to fight this guy. I want Ngannou.’ No. I want the belt. I don’t care either way.”

The next step of that journey is scheduled for Saturday night. Blaydes says he always does his best not to get overly emotional for any one particular fight, so he’s not adding any emphasis to the matchup.

But he does want to move forward towards his ultimate goal.

“I don’t have to prove anything to the world,” Blaydes said. My record speaks for itself. Me getting my hand raised is enough for me, so if it goes to a five-round decision or first-round KO or second-round TKO, as long as my hand is raised, that’s enough for me. There’s enough pressure in this sport, regardless. I’m not going to add pressure on myself, life I have to knock him out. No. That’s how you make mistakes.

“I plan for him to be there, in my face, pressuring me, tossing kicks at me for five rounds. Now, the likelihood of it going all five rounds? Not that likely. But the possibility is there, so I prepare for the worst.”