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Derrick Lewis used to drop Alexander Volkov at UFC 229 on Saturday was how quickly he bagged a heavyweight fight against champion Daniel Cormier – just three days later.
Few were more than Chicagoan and fellow Curtis Blaydes. And not in a good way.
"It's a bit surprising to hear after (Lewis') last couple performances, but I guess I'm not that shocked," Blay told the interview in a phone interview. "Anything can happen in the UFC.
"I feel like Derrick Lewis is getting this title shot based on the strength of his post-fight interviews. He gives a lot of good sound bites. He has a lot of followers on Instagram and Twitter. It's pretty much a popularity contest, and it's more popular right now. "
After Cormier beat then-champion Stipe Miocic in July, he questioned the wisdom of taking on Blaze when he could fight a bigger name in WWE star Brock Lesnar: "Do you want to go to war and make so much less money? If I fight Brock Lesnar, I'm getting paid. "
Blay responded on Twitter that he was "tired of all the politics."
Goal UFC President Dana White disputed the notion that money and politics influence fight cards.
"Nah, nah, that has nothing to do with it," White said. "Curtis Blaydes is still a young buck in the heavyweight division. … Obviously a talented guy, but he's still got some work to do.
READ MORE: UFC's Dana White: Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis is' good to go, 'pending medical clearance'
"Everybody feels like, 'Oh, the politics are holding me down,' and this and that. Calm down, Clubber Lang. Just keep winning and your time's coming. "
UFC is no stranger to controversy in how it assembles some of its cards, particularly with a belt on the line, and the pairing of Cormier and Lewis as the main event in UFC 230 on Nov. 3 at Madison Square Garden is no different.
From Blaydes' perspective, it's just the latest example of him getting overlooked.
Blaydes was riding a four-fight winning streak when he beat Alistair Overeem with a series of brutal elbows during an impressive UFC 225 in Chicago Chicago crowd.
After the fight, he immediately called for a title shot against Miocic, but Cormier got the nod. Cormier beat Miocic in July, and before this matchup with No. 2 material Lewis contender, Cormier was trying to set up a fight with Lesnar. Last week he told TMZ Sports he would try to get in two parts before retiring on his 40th birthday March 20: Jon Jones for Cormier-Jones III (at light heavyweight), which White has endorsed.
If a Lesnar does not happen, Cormier said he would give Miocic a rematch.
Lewis told the Tribune that if he were to beat Cormier, he would want to fight Demetrious Johnson, a UFC showdown has coveted for two years.
Nowhere in the equation is Blaydes, the No. 3 challenger to the heavyweight crown.
The soft-spoken Blaydes said he knows "what I have to do" but said he does not want to become a showman just to be considered for fights.
"I do not want to be Derrick Lewis," Blaydes said. "He's a clown. He just says the most random things just to get a lot of views and likes. I do not want to do that. "
During an interview Tuesday, White delighted the million followers Lewis has gained on Instagram this week.
Lewis made a colorful reference to a body part during the Volkov post-fight interview that went viral. Cormier for dancing and twerking in a commercial chicken popeyes was gaining traction Wednesday.
Lewis said he was aware of his opinion, but said he did not matter to him.
"Who cares?" Lewis said. "I'm not really trying to entertain him. He's the boring fighter, really. "
Lewis contends that Blaydes is the type of fighter who avoids contact, hoping time runs out in the round. "He does not really like to stand and trade (punches) or nothing like that."
He added: "I've been in UFC way longer than him. … My winning streak is way longer than his. My resume is way better than his. So what is he complaining about? He's lucky he's in the position he's in right now. Plus he's got a tough matchup ahead of him. "
Blaydes is set to fight Francis Ngannou in a rematch at Night Fight 141 on Nov. 24 in Beijing.
White suggests Blaydes could be making the same mistake Ngannou made when a December 2017 victory against Overeem set up a title match against Miocic. "I've said it many times, let him fight him, and look what he has done to him."
Ngannou lost by unanimous decision to Miocic in that January last, then rejected another decision to Lewis in July.
"The only thing Blaydes should be focused on and give to (expletive) right now is Francis Ngannou," White said. "Do not look past Ngannou."
White also defended Lewis' credentials for a title shot
He beat Matt Mitrione, Shawn Jordan, Gabriel Gonzaga, Roy Nelson, Travis Browne, Marcin Tybura, Francis Ngannou and Alexander Volkov. You know what I mean? You're ready for a title shot. "
Twitter @_phil_thompson
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