UFC FIGHT NIGHT: BLAYDES vs. LEWIS Preview

On a Razor’s Edge

 In Saturday’s main event, No 2. ranked Curtis “Razor” Blaydes goes head to head with No. 4 ranked Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis in a heavyweight contest. Blaydes comes into the bout on a four-fight win streak, having beaten Alexander Volkov in June and having KO’d former titleholder, Junior Dos Santos, In January.

Lewis will also be looking to maintain his momentum and gain a fourth consecutive victory, having beaten Aleksei Oleinik in August and Ilir Latifi in February. He has a record of 19 wins by KO and one via submission, with seven of these victories inside the first round. He also holds wins over Francis Ngannou, Alexander Volkov and Travis Browne over the course of his career. It’s an exciting grappler vs. striker match up which is sure to be explosive.

CURTIS BLAYDES AND NO. 4 DERRICK LEWIS LOOK TO MAKE THEIR CASES FOR THE NEXT SHOT AT THE UFC HEAVYWEIGHT BELT

• Curtis Blaydes (14-2, 1 NC, fighting out of Chicago, Ill.) intends to show off his ever-growing skill set by snapping Lewis’ win streak
  No. 2 ranked UFC heavyweight contender
  • 10 wins by KO
  • On a four-fight win streak
  • Holds most takedowns in UFC heavyweight history (59)
  • Holds wins over Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt and Junior Dos Santos
• Derrick Lewis (24-7, 1 NC, fighting out of Houston, Texas) aims to secure another shot at the title by becoming only the second person to stop Blaydes
  • No. 4 ranked UFC heavyweight contender
  • 18 wins by KO, one via submission
  • On a three-fight win streak
  • Holds UFC record for most heavyweight knockouts (11)
  • Holds wins over Alexander Volkov, Travis Browne and Aleksei Oleinik

A Lightweight Crusade

 The co-main event is a light heavyweight matchup between No. 6 ranked Anthony Smith and Devin Clark. A technical striker who once fought Jon Jones for the title, Smith has victories over a number of notable names during his UFC career, including the likes of Alexander Gustafsson, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Rashad Evans. After a difficult start to the year, “Lionheart” will be looking to build on his winning record having won four of his last seven contests.

Devin Clark goes into the bout enjoying a successful year thus far with back-to-back victories, having won third-round victories with unanimous decisions over Alonzo Menifield and Dequan Townsend. The “Brown Bear” is a strong wrestler and has won six of his last nine to bring his record to 6-4 in the UFC and 12-4 overall.

A victory will be vital for both athletes but who will succeed?

ANTHONY SMITH STEPS IN ON SHORT NOTICE TO TAKE ON DEVIN CLARK

• Anthony Smith (33-16, fighting out of Omaha, Neb.) seeks to secure his first victory of 2020 with a vintage performance

• • No. 6 ranked UFC light heavyweight contender
  • 18 wins by KO, 12 via submission
  • 17 first-round finishes
  • Holds stoppage wins over Rashad Evans, Mauricio Rua and Alexander Gustafsson

• Devin Clark (12-4, fighting out of Sioux Falls, S.D.) has his sights set on earning his first promotional finish against Smith and breaking into the rankings
  • UFC light heavyweight
  • Three wins by KO, one via submission
  • Has won three of last four
  • Holds wins over Dequan Townsend, Alonzo Menifield and Mike Rodriguez

New Kids on the Block

Also, on the main card this weekend, Contender Series alum Josh Parisian makes his UFC debut against heavyweight Parker Porter. Parisian can feel confident ahead of his debut as currently enjoys a six-fight winning streak. His last outing on the Contender Series saw him gain a first-round knockout over Chad Johnson and he’ll be looking to prove his worth as he steps inside the Octagon® this weekend.

His opponent Porter has yet to make his mark in UFC following his debut earlier this year when he was stopped by Chris Daukaus at UFC 252®. He’ll be looking to establish his place in the heavyweight division with a victory on Saturday.

Both athletes don’t favour going the distance so this should be a fast-action-packed bout not to be missed.

OTHER FIGHTS ON THE CARD INCLUDE

• In a clash of heavyweights looking to make a statement, Josh Parisian (13-3, fighting out of Howell, Mich.) battles Parker Porter (10-6, fighting out of West Hartford, Conn.)
• Gina Mazany (5-4, fighting out of Las Vegas, Nev.) aims to spoil the Octagon return of Rachael Ostovich (4-5, fighting out of Waianae, Hawaii) at flyweight
• Rising welterweight strikers Miguel Baeza (9-0, fighting out of Davie, Fla.) and Takashi Sato (16-4, fighting out of Tokyo, Japan) vie to steal the show with an impressive performance
• Jonathan Pearce (8-4, fighting out of Phoenix, Ariz.) faces short notice replacement Kai Kamaka (8-2, fighting out of Pearl City, Hawaii) at featherweight
• Ashlee Evans-Smith (6-4, fighting out of Santa Ana, Calif.) plans to keep Norma Dumont (4-1, fighting out of Belo Horizonte, State of Minas Gerais, Brazil) from claiming her first UFC win at bantamweight
• Martin Day (8-4, fighting out of Kailua, Hawaii) and Anderson Dos Santos (20-8, fighting out of Sao Paulo, Brazil) seek to secure their first UFC wins at bantamweight
• Su Mudaerji (11-4, fighting out of Chengdu, Sichuan, China) has his sights set on delivering a dominant performance in his flyweight debut against Malcolm Gordon (12-3, fighting out of Markham, Ontario, Canada)
• Luke Sanders (13-3, fighting out of Nashville, Tenn.) returns to the Octagon after almost two years to take on Nate Maness (12-1, fighting out of Henderson, Ky.) in a 140-pound catchweight bout
• Entertaining featherweights Spike Carlyle (9-2, fighting out of San Diego, Calif.) and Bill Algeo (13-5, fighting out of King of Prussia, Pa.) compete to bounce back into the win column