The main event at UFC Fight Night from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas features No. 2-ranked Curtis Blaydes meeting the No. 4-ranked Derrick Lewis in the heavyweight action.
After their first bout was canceled, heavyweight rivals Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes have been rescheduled to a UFC Fight Night event on Feb. 20. The heavyweight fight, which was originally scheduled for Nov. 28, will headline the UFC Fight Night event on Feb. 20, according to sources. The fight was canceled on Nov. 27 after Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19. Blaydes vs. Lewis could produce the next contender for the UFC heavyweight title after champion Stipe Miocic defends his belt against Francis Ngannou later this year. Blaydes (13-2) has won his past four in a row, while Lewis has won his past three fights.
Derrick Lewis on his game plan against Blaydes
It’s a very intriguing fight as there is no question Lewis has one-punch KO power, but Blaydes will have the wrestling advantage. For “The Black Beast” he believes he has what it takes to put Blaydes away given he is in the best shape of his career.
“What makes me dangerous is the power that I have my hands and my will to win. I don’t care who is my opponent, I believe I have the tools to put away any man,” Lewis said on the UFC preview for the fight. “I’m coming in, in one of the best shapes of my career, a lot quicker, more agile. This is my time now to prove to these guys it’s not going to be easy whenever they see my name on that paper.”
Although many think Blaydes will just take Derrick down over and over again, The Black Beast doesn’t agree. Instead, he thinks he will stuff the takedowns and get back to his feet and eventually break Blaydes. Once he does that, he is confident the finish will come and he will earn a title shot.
“This fight right here is going to be very violent and very bloody. I feel I could break Curtis by the third round and that’s what’s going to happen,” Derrick said. “This is going to be a very intense battle, we both want the title shot right after this and I believe I could get the job done.”
Blaydes and Lewis are veterans of the heavyweight division but have never faced off. Before the first bout, he said the UFC was protecting Lewis from a loss, which brought a shrug from “The Black Beast.”
Derrick Lewis is currently on a three-fight winning streak. Last time out, he scored a second-round KO over Alexey Oleynik to become the UFC’s record holder for most knockouts at heavyweight. Before the win over the Russian, “The Black Beast” beat Ilir Latifi and Blagoy Ivanov by decision. The victories got him back into the win column after a TKO loss to Junior dos Santos and a submission loss to Daniel Cormier for the heavyweight title.
Curtis Blaydes, meanwhile, is riding a four-fight winning streak. Last time out, he went all five rounds against Alexander Volkov and won the fight by decision. Before that, he picked up TKO wins over dos Santos and Shamil Abdurakhimov and a decision win over Justin Willis. “Razor” has only lost twice in his career, both times coming at the hands of Francis Ngannou.
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