Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis now have a new date to lock horns, with the two heavyweights colliding on February 20. Following an initial report from ESPN, multiple sources have confirmed that Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis will now headline…
Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis now have a new date to lock horns, with the two heavyweights colliding on February 20. Following an initial report from ESPN, multiple sources have confirmed that Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis will now headline the February 20 Fight Night card. This bout was originally scheduled to take place in […]
The coronavirus has claimed another fight in 2020, as the UFC on ESPN 18 main event between Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis has been cancelled after Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19. ESPN broke the news that Curtis Blaydes was forced out of his ma…
The coronavirus has claimed another fight in 2020, as the UFC on ESPN 18 main event between Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis has been cancelled after Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19. ESPN broke the news that Curtis Blaydes was forced out of his main event against Derrick Lewis mere minutes before the weigh-in. There are […]
The Curtis Blaydes- Derrick Lewis bout that was scheduled to headline Saturday’s UFC on ESPN show has reportedly been canceled. Per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani , UFC is attempting to reschedule the fight for December…
The Curtis Blaydes- Derrick Lewis bout that was scheduled to headline Saturday’s UFC on ESPN show has reportedly been canceled. Per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani , UFC is attempting to reschedule the fight for December…
Heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes has tested positive for COVID-19 and therefore his UFC Vegas 15 main event fight with popular puncher Derrick Lewis has been pulled from tomorrow night’s card Veteran MMA reporter Ariel Helwani took to social media to break the news. “Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis — tomorrow night’s UFC main event — […]
Heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes has tested positive for COVID-19 and therefore his UFC Vegas 15 main event fight with popular puncher Derrick Lewis has been pulled from tomorrow night’s card
Veteran MMA reporter Ariel Helwani took to social media to break the news.
“Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis — tomorrow night’s UFC main event — has been canceled, per multiple sources,” Helwani wrote. “Blaydes has tested positive for COVID. The promotion is hoping to reschedule the fight in December, sources say, though that isn’t a done deal just yet.”
Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis — tomorrow night’s UFC main event — has been canceled, per multiple sources. Blaydes has tested positive for COVID.
The promotion is hoping to reschedule the fight in December, sources say, though that isn’t a done deal just yet.
One-time 205lb title challenger Anthony ‘Lionheart’ Smith will now main event the show. He’ll be looking to snap his two-fight losing streak when he squares off against Devin Clark who is currently unranked at light-heavyweight.
Check out the updated UFC Vegas 15 fight card
Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick LewisCurtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis Devin Clark vs. Anthony Smith Josh Parisian vs. Parker Porter Miguel Baeza vs. Takashi Sato Bill Algeo vs. Spike Carlyle Norma Dumont vs. Ashlee Evans-Smith Martin Day vs. Anderson dos Santos Gina Mazany vs. Rachael Ostovich Kai Kamaka III vs. Jonathan Pearce Malcolm Gordon vs. Su Mudaerji Nate Maness vs. Luke Sanders
Will you still be tuning in to UFC Vegas 15 after this news regarding Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis?
UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes has no plans on changing his fighting style to please the masses. Following his unanimous decision victory over Alexander Volkov in June, Blaydes was the subject of heavy criticism for what many considered to be a very un…
UFC heavyweight Curtis Blaydes has no plans on changing his fighting style to please the masses. Following his unanimous decision victory over Alexander Volkov in June, Blaydes was the subject of heavy criticism for what many considered to be a very underwhelming performance. The two talking points of criticism were centered around Blaydes’ gas tank […]
Curtis Blaydes is not too bothered by the power of Derrick Lewis. The two heavyweights collide in the UFC Vegas 15 headliner on Saturday in a fight that could determine the next person in line for a title shot. The threats from both sides are pretty easy — Blaydes has his wrestling while Lewis has […]
Curtis Blaydes is not too bothered by the power of Derrick Lewis.
The two heavyweights collide in the UFC Vegas 15 headliner on Saturday in a fight that could determine the next person in line for a title shot.
The threats from both sides are pretty easy — Blaydes has his wrestling while Lewis has his power. But as far as Blaydes is concerned, every heavyweight has power.
And despite Lewis boasting 19 of his 24 career wins by knockout, Blaydes sees plenty of holes in his striking.
“We’re heavyweights; power is a prerequisite,” Blaydes told MMA Junkie. “I’m not overly impressed with it. Do I understand he’s got it? Yes. But do I understand that he’s just looking to knock my head off? Yes. That’s what makes him predictable.
“He doesn’t use his jab. He doesn’t set up combinations. He doesn’t move his feet. When he throws his rear overhand, he brings up his rear leg, and he ends up in a square stance, which is the worst thing to do against a guy like me, so there’s just so many holes in his striking.”
Lewis has also been known to get taken down but does manage to find his way back to his feet — sometimes in comical fashion.
However, he is yet to face anyone with the grappling credentials that Blaydes boasts as the Chicago native intends on keeping him on the ground.
“People aren’t doing their research on who are the people taking him down, who are the people that he’s standing up against,” Blaydes said. “The thing is, he’s getting taken down by everybody. Blagoy Ivanov took him down. Ilir Latifi took him down. Alexander Volkov took him down. Marcin Tybura took him down. Everyone took him down, but these guys aren’t even good grapplers.
“When a good grappler takes you down, you don’t just get up. You need technique to get up, and that’s the thing: The UFC has protected him. He hasn’t gotten a good grappler. Now he’s getting one. He’s not just going to stand up. That’s disrespectful to all the years of wrestling I’ve put into my own game. I’ve worked too hard at this. The muscle memory is too locked in. That’s not how it works.”
In the end, Blaydes is a betting favorite for a reason and whether he gets a finish on Saturday night all depends on how much heart Lewis has according to him.
“You’re always hoping to get a finish, but it depends on him, how tough he is,” Blaydes said. “It’s a grind. I’m going to press him, get him up against the cage, get him on the ground. Take him down, ground and pound him, and if he makes it out of the round, rinse and repeat. If he makes it out of that round, rinse and repeat. If he makes it out of that round, rinse and repeat.
“Is he willing to go to the dark places? I’ve been to the dark places. My last fight against Volkov, I went to the dark place, and now I know how to operate within that space. I don’t think he’s ever been happy going to that place.”
Heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes has tested positive for COVID-19 and therefore his UFC Vegas 15 main event fight with popular puncher Derrick Lewis has been pulled from tomorrow night’s card Veteran MMA reporter Ariel Helwani took to social media to break the news. “Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis — tomorrow night’s UFC main event — […]