One of the most anticipated heavyweight bouts of 2022 takes place at the APEX in Nevada on November 19th with Derrick Lewis and Sergey Spivak’s upcoming fight set to headline the UFC Fight Night 215. This contest is just one of many mouth-watering meetings set to take place over the coming weeks and as we head towards the end of the year, there are numerous scheduled MMA and UFC cards which are likely to excite fans and many online betting sites such as Fitzdares sportsbook have already priced up future fights including David Kozma vs Kaik Brito and Tadej Dajcman vs Adam Palasz.
With a combined 28 KOs, these two fighters are highly rated heavy hitters and having quietly impressed over the last couple of years, Sergey Spivak has been tipped for big things and the 27-year old is predicted to enjoy a successful career in the sport. A victory here would be viewed as significant step forward and could potentially be a huge stepping stone en-route to stardom and the possibility of adding his name to the star-studded list of UFC’s highest earners.
Taking place in the heavyweight division, this battle will consist of five absorbing rounds and is set to be a fascinating bout between two evenly-matched opponents.
Recent Records
Although Derrick Lewis has the greater power and a far better overall record, it’s Sergey Spivak who comes into this bout as the in-form fighter. The Moldovan has been victorious in five of his last six UFC competitions and is unbeaten in this calendar year. He comes off the back of a TKO victory over Augusto Sakai at UFC Vegas 59 at the beginning of August where he executed the perfect game plan to see off his Brazilian opponent.
Lewis comes off the back of a defeat at UFC 277 at the end of July and will be hoping to bounce back from his KO loss to Sergey Pavlovich in New Year. It was the second consecutive defeat for the American having also suffered at the hands of Tai Tuivasa in Houston back in February.
He’s won just one of his last four bouts, a solitary success over Chris Daukaus at UFC Fight Night 199 and will be looking to end his poor run of form. Nevertheless, Lewis has been fighting more than his opponent with an average of three months between each of his bouts compared to Spivak’s seven month gap between battles.
Betting Odds and Prediction
Given his recent form, it’s not a surprise to see Sergey Spivak priced up as the 4/6 favourite here. Despite this, Lewis should not be taken lightly and there will be plenty of UFC fans who will be tempted by the 11/10 available on the hard-hitting American.
Lewis has been far more successful in UFC and if this fight was to be simply decided on power, then the American would win this bout at a canter. However, Spivak is a savvy operator who is likely to approach this fight with a clear tactical blueprint. The 27-year old has been in better form and if the two fighters go to ground, then Spivak is likely to come out on top.
At ten years his junior, Spivak has far less experience, yet he has enormous potential and has proven to be a hugely efficient operator in recent years. He is predicted to narrowly edge out his opponent in Las Vegas in mid-November.