Curtis Blaydes has opened up about the horrendous experience he went through that forced him to withdraw from UFC 313.
‘Razor’ was scheduled to go head-to-head with Rizvan Kuniev in a heavyweight showdown on March 8, inside the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA.
Alas, with just hours to go, Blaydes had to pull out of the fight, after contracting norovirus.
Now, the UFC veteran has opened up about his ordeal.
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Curtis Blaydes experienced awful norovirus symptoms
During the winter months, norovirus spread around the US like wildfire, having a tough impact on those who caught it.
Unfortunately, Curtis Blaydes contracted the vomiting bug and consequently had to deal with the nasty symptoms that come alongside it.
In an interview with Home of Fight, he explained: “I can’t speak for everyone, but in my own experience, it was about 12 hours of p—— out of my butt. It was rough, and it was very dehydrating.
“It’s not just diarrhea, it’s also nausea, you’re throwing up, you can’t hold down even a drop of water. It wasn’t a good experience, and that’s why I had to call off the fight.
“I’m not going to risk my ranking and legacy and everything I’ve built up because I’ve got a virus the morning of the fight. So, it was an easy decision for me.”
Curtis Blaydes says he will fight Rizvan Kuniev at UFC Azerbajan
It’s been a difficult few months for Blaydes, with the American losing to Tom Aspinall for the UFC interim title back in July and then missing out on his big comeback against Kuniev last month.
However, it now looks like the match-up has been rearranged. While reports have emerged that the clash will take place in Las Vegas, the fighter himself insists it will go down in Azerbaijan.
He explained: “It’s June 21st, as far as I know. But, it’s the UFC, so it would be easy to switch. As of right now, I’m preparing for June.”
And it’s fair to say he isn’t afraid of fighting in enemy territory.
The grappler added: “It can’t help you. If we were fighting in Chicago, it doesn’t help me at all. I’m not an emotional fighter, I don’t get angry, I don’t get hyped up, I’m dismissive. I’ve fought other guys in their backyards, I know from experience, it doesn’t help you.”