Curtis Blaydes vs Derrick Lewis Tips - Blaydes to chop down veteran Lewis at UFC Fight Night

UFC heavyweight contenders Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis face off in the main event of UFC Fight Night on Sunday (February 21). This bout is a virtual eliminator for a shot at the reigning UFC heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic. 

A pro MMA competitor since 2014, Blaydes is the UFC’s no.2 ranked heavyweight, behind Francis Ngannou, whom he has suffered both of his career defeats against. Blaydes best wins have been against the vastly experienced Alistair Overeem and former UFC heavyweight champion Junior Dos Santos. 

Derrick Lewis is the UFC’s 4th ranked heavyweight. A pro MMA fighter since 2010, Lewis has previously fought under the Bellator banner. A 32-bout veteran, Lewis has beaten the likes of Alexander Volkov, Mark Hunt, Travis Browne, and current UFC heavyweight no.1 contender Francis Ngannou. 

This is an excellent matchup which pits the youth of Blaydes against the experience of Lewis. Blaydes is the higher ranked fighter for good reason, he has far less mileage on his clock, and I’m going for the all-round skills of Blaydes to overcome the ring savvy of veteran Lewis and pull off a submission victory. 

These two fighters have never met in an MMA bout. However, they share several mutual opponents. Curtis Blaydes has lost twice against Francis Ngannou, but the Cameroon native was beaten by Derrick Lewis. Junior Dos Santos defeated Lewis, but was beaten by Blaydes. 

Finally New Zealand’s Mark Hunt defeated Lewis at UFC Fight Night in 2017, and Blaydes beat Hunt at UFC 221 in 2018. 

The 29-year old Curtis Blaydes has an MMA record of 14-2 with 10 KOs. The 6’4” 260 lb Blaydes’ background is wrestling, and he had an extensive collegiate wrestling career compiling a 95-18 record. Blaydes began his pro MMA career in 2014, and won his first 5 matches before running into Francis Ngannou and suffering his first defeat. 

Blaydes put together another 5-bout winning streak – including a TKO over Alistair Overeem – before taking on Ngannou in a rematch, suffering a first round TKO. 

Since then Blaydes has won four straight, including his big win over Junior Dos Santos, and is the UFC’s no.2 ranked heavyweight, behind Ngannou. In his most recent bout, Blaydes decisioned Russian Alexander Volkov. 

The 36-year old Derrick Lewis originally wanted to be a boxer, but after a stint in prison, was introduced to mixed martial arts, and found his path to fame and fortune. Lewis has compiled an MMA pro record of 24-7, with 20 wins by KO or submission. 

The 6’3” 264 lb Lewis uses his boxing background as the basis for his bouts, and it has stood him in good stead. His standout win is his 2018 victory over Francis Ngannou, but Lewis has been beaten twice since then, a submission loss to Daniel Cormier, and a TKO defeat to Junior Dos Santos.