RALEIGH, N.C. – Curtis Blaydes has won some big fights against some big names during his career, but never before has he beaten a former UFC champion.

Blaydes (12-2 MMA, 7-2 UFC) will have the chance to do that for the first time Saturday, when he takes on ex-titleholder Junior Dos Santos (21-6 MMA, 15-5 UFC) in the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 24. Blaydes is aware it’s a stern task, but said a victory over “Cigano” would be a strong representation of where he belongs in the heavyweight division.

“I already have gone against a couple legendary guys like Mark Hunt, Alistair Overeem – so to have another guy like him on my resume, it only strengthens my argument for getting my first title shot,” Blaydes told MMA Junkie. “I do believe Junior is still right there, he’s one of the best of the game and I know beating him basically will solidify my place as the next title challenger.”

The headlining matchup will be Blaydes’ second in the UFC, while it will mark the 13th of Dos Santos’ octagon tenure. It tops the card from PNC Arena in Raleigh, and streams on ESPN+.

It’s obvious that experience is one of the underlying storylines heading into the contest. One thing that hasn’t changed over the entirety of MMA history, though, is that styles make fights. Blaydes said it doesn’t matter how much longer Dos Santos has been in the game, or how hard he’s worked on perceived weaknesses, because he would never make the primary game plan to grapple.

“As he’s got older he’s pretty much the same guy,” Blaydes said. “He’s well rounded, but he hasn’t really added any, ‘Oh wow, that’s new.’ He’s Junior. I know I have the advantage when it comes to the wrestling department. Not many guys in this sport, let alone this weight class, that have my credentials in wrestling. So I want to use my grappling advantage. I know he doesn’t want to grapple. He wants to keep space and distance.”

For Blaydes, beating Dos Santos would be an important moment in his career. Doing it in style, however, would truly strengthen his argument as a title contender in the heavyweight division.

Blaydes has never finished opponents in back-to-back fights during his UFC run, and he’s coming off a second-round TKO of Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 242 in September. He hopes to buck the trend, but said he’s not approaching the fight different than any other.

“We always want the highlight-reel, but I don’t press it,” Blaydes said. “I think that’s why I do so well. I don’t hunt for the finish. You start hunting, you make mistakes and you don’t do A, B, C, D. You just try to jump to E. I want to do my ground-and-pound, if it happens, it happens. I don’t hunt. Like the one against Alistair, the one that everyone loves, I did not hunt that. That was organic. It just happened.”

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