The UFC heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes has stuttered through a number of interviews in recent years. Some MMA fans assumed that the cause for his stutter was brain damage accumulated thanks to a lengthy career in MMA and getting hit constantly.
The assumption came from the fact that Blaydes has suffered three vicious knockouts during his UFC tenure. On Twitter, a fan who just learned that Blaydes has a speech impediment asked if it’s caused by brain damage.
“Has Curtis Blaydes always had a speech impediment or are these early signs of CTE?” A fan asked.
Repetitive blows to the head can cause CTE and are suffered by many boxers around the world. Brain damage especially from head injury can lead to a stutter or a speech impediment. However, Blaydes denied the assumption. He confirmed that his stutter has nothing to do with brain damage. He said he had been stuttering since he was born.
“It’s well known by [people] I regularly engage with or know me from school or outside of MMA that I’ve had a stutter/ speech impediment my entire life. It’s got nothing to do with MMA. Too many idiots running around saying ‘bLaYdEs SoUnDs LiKe HeS gOt CtE’.” Blaydes wrote on Twitter.
It’s well known by ppl I regularly engage with or know me from school or outside of mma that I’ve had a stutter/ speech impediment my entire life it’s got nothing to do with mma. Too many idiots running around saying “bLaYdEs SoUnDs LiKe HeS gOt CtE” ??♂️
— Curtis Blaydes (@RazorBlaydes265) March 28, 2022
Curtis Blaydes did not stutter that much during his octagon interview after he beat Chris Daukaus last weekend. One fan recognized this and mentioned it while giving Blaydes a gratitude for his victory.
“Honestly you sound a lot better and more comfortable on the mic than before in your fights, don’t know if you are actively working on it but it has improved a lot. Great win on Saturday!” The fan said.
Curtis Blaydes just beat Chris Daukaus during the main event of UFC on ESPN+ 63 last weekend. Blaydes managed to knock out Daukaus in the second round and won the Performance of The Night bonus. ‘Razor’ called out the reigning champion Francis Ngannou to have a trilogy with him. They have exchanged blows before with Ngannou winning twice via knockout. Blaydes might have to wait a bit longer considering Ngannou is recovering from a knee surgery and is in the middle of a contentious negotiation with the UFC.
A number of current and former UFC athletes exhibit a level of sensitivity when they talk about the daunting prospects of CTE. Prior to their sale UFC helped out Spencer Fisher with his medical expenses when he was diagnosed with dementia in his 30s – he is a likely candidate for a CTE diagnosis but at present, CTE is only diagnosed post mortem.