Curtis Blaydes (left) on his way to victory against Junior dos Santos. SIPA USA / PA Images SIPA USA / PA Images / PA Images

CURTIS BLAYDES WANTS a shot at reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic after making swift work of a former title-holder last night.

In the UFC Fight Night 166 main event in Raleigh, North Carolina, Blaydes (13-2) recorded an emphatic TKO of Brazilian veteran Junior dos Santos (21-7) with 1:06 of the second round on the clock.

It was a third consecutive victory for the 28-year-old American, who has responded well to his first-round TKO loss to Francis Ngannou in November 2018.

“Going against a guy like Junior, a legitimate legend, one of the OGs of the sport… being able to just share the octagon with him was an honour,” said Blaydes, who’s currently ranked third — behind Daniel Cormier and Francis Ngannou — in the pecking order of heavyweight challengers.

“I want that title shot. I’m next,” he added. “I’ve shown you I’ve got the wrestling, I’ve shown you I’ve got the hands — I don’t know what else I’ve got to do. I want that title shot.” 

Following his second-round TKO win over Junior dos Santos, who do you want to see @RazorBlaydes265 fight next? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/bcXDzDD00g

— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) January 26, 2020

In the penultimate bout on last night’s card, Michael Chiesa (17-4) continued his resurgence at welterweight with a unanimous-decision win over former lightweight champion Rafael dos Anjos (29-13), who has now lost four of his last five bouts.

There were better fortunes for another ex-UFC champion at Bellator 238 in the LA Forum, where Cris Cyborg’s debut for the promotion ended with her clinching the featherweight title courtesy of a fourth-round TKO stoppage of Julia Budd. 

UFC Fight Night 166 results

• Curtis Blaydes def. Junior dos Santos via TKO (knees and punches) after 1:06 of round two
• Michael Chiesa def. Rafael dos Anjos via unanimous decision (30–27, 29–28, 29–28)
• Alex Perez def. Jordan Espinosa via technical submission (arm-triangle choke) after 2:33 of round one
• Angela Hill def. Hannah Cifers via TKO (elbows and punches) after 4:26 of round two
• Jamahal Hill def. Darko Stošić via unanimous decision (29–27, 29–27, 29–27)
• Bevon Lewis def. Dequan Townsend via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)
• Arnold Allen def. Nik Lentz via unanimous decision (29–28, 29–28, 30–27)
• Justine Kish def. Lucie Pudilová via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27)
• Montel Jackson def. Felipe Colares via unanimous decision (30–26, 30–26, 30–25)
• Sara McMann def. Lina Länsberg via unanimous decision (30–27, 30–26, 30–25)
• Brett Johns def. Tony Gravely via submission (rear-naked choke) 2:53 of round three
• Herbert Burns def. Nate Landwehr via KO (knee) after 2:43 of round one

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