Number four-ranked Derrick Lewis is on a tear, so far. “The Black Beast” capped off a four-fight win streak on August 8th via second-round TKO over veteran Aleksei Oleinik.
Immediately after the fight, Lewis called out the number two-ranked Curtis Blaydes, whom he feels he has an edge against, even if the action goes to the mat.
“That’d be perfect to fight Curtis next,” Lewis told reporters during the post-fight scrum. “All he’s going to do is try to grab me and hold me and try to win a decision. He’s not going to try to finish me.
“If he does try to finish me, that’s fine, but I do believe I can take Curtis down and punish him on the ground.”
Blaydes eventually got hold of Lewis’ statements and accepted the challenge. The UFC, for their part, took action and began the process of booking the matchup. Per ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, Blaydes vs. Lewis will now headline the company’s November 28 event.
Breaking: Curtis Blaydes (@RazorBlaydes265) vs. Derrick Lewis (@Thebeast_ufc) will headline UFC Fight Night on 11/28, location TBD. Blaydes asked for it, knows Lewis is a fan favorite and wants to build momentum. Lewis was down, wanted time to get in peak shape. Should be good.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) August 18, 2020
Blaydes is on a four-fight win streak. He last saw action in June against Alexander Volkov and won by unanimous decision.
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