Tag: Derrick Lewis

Derrick Lewis surprised Ilir Latifi moved up, wanted to fight ‘biggest guy in the division’

Derrick Lewis is surprised Ilir Latifi decided to move up to heavyweight and wanted to take on one of the bigger fighters in the division.

LAS VEGAS – [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] is surprised that [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] wants to face him.

Latifi (14-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) will move up to heavyweight and take on former UFC heavyweight title challenger Lewis (22-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) at UFC 247 in Houston on Feb. 8, where Latifi will make the move up from 205 pounds.

Speaking to MMA Junkie and other reporters Saturday backstage at UFC 245, Lewis said he actually thought the short and stocky Latifi would move down a weight class, not up.

“It was a real surprise that they chose Latifi because I believe that he was a small 205-er and for anything, he should have went down to 185 instead of coming up to heavyweight,” Lewis said. “And I heard that he had called me out, and wanted to fight me, so it was a real surprise to me, that he wanted to pick the biggest guy in the division, like the fattest guy in the division.”

Latifi has struggled as of late, suffering back-to-back losses to Corey Anderson and Volkan Oezdemir. He hopes to find new life at heavyweight, but Lewis doesn’t see him bringing anything to the table that he hasn’t seen before.

“I know he’s an explosive guy, he’s a wrestler or what. I don’t think he’ll be any different than anyone else,” Lewis said.

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MMA Junkie Radio #3003: On Shevchenko vs. Chookagian, Adesanya-Costa feud, more

Hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” break down the latest MMA news and notes, from fights booked to feuds ramping up.

Thursday’s edition of MMA Junkie Radio with hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze” is here!

On episode 3,002 of the podcast, the guys break down the latest MMA news and notes.

The rundown

  • UFC women’s flyweight champion [autotag]Valentina Shevchenko[/autotag] has her next title defense lined up, and it’ll happen against [autotag]Katlyn Chookagian[/autotag] on Feb. 8 in Houston. We offer our thoughts on the matchup and ponder Shevchenko’s status as one of the all-time great female fighters.
  • Did you see that [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] is set to fight … [autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag]? Latifi recently announced his move up to heavyweight from light heavyweight, and that’s one hell of an introduction to the division.
  • Question: Would [autotag]Thiago Santos[/autotag] have a better shot in a rematch with UFC light heavyweight champion [autotag]Jon Jones[/autotag] than Alexander Gustafsson did his second time around? We discuss.
  • Good news: [autotag]Henry Cejudo[/autotag] is on schedule with his recovery to return soon. Bad news: We still have no idea which UFC title he’ll defend first – flyweight or bantamweight. Whose decision is it, and what will ultimately be decided?
  • [autotag]Paulo Costa[/autotag] ranted about UFC middleweight champion [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag] this week and called him a “p***y African.” That … might be racist?
  • A potential fight between [autotag]Jason Knight[/autotag] and [autotag]Paulie Malignaggi[/autotag] in either boxing or bare knuckle: Is that something we want to see?
  • [autotag]Josh Thomson[/autotag] wants to run it back with [autotag]Gilbert Melendez[/autotag] for a fourth time, and lobbies for Bellator to make it happen. Are we into it?

Stream or download this and all episodes of MMA Junkie Radio over at AudioBoom, or check it out above. You can also catch it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and more. A new episode of the podcast is released every Monday and Thursday.

Derrick Lewis vs. Ilir Latifi in the works for UFC event on Feb. 8

Ilir Latifi will have his hands full in his UFC heavyweight debut when he takes on Derrick Lewis on Feb. 8.

[autotag]Ilir Latifi[/autotag] will have his hands full in his UFC heavyweight debut.

A former member of the light heavyweight ranks, Latifi (14-7 MMA, 7-5 UFC) moves to the 265-pound weight class, where he is expected take on [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] on Feb. 8.

A person with knowledge confirmed that the booking is in the works to MMA Junkie on Monday after an initial report by ESPN. The event currently doesn’t have a set location, but is targeted for Houston.

Latifi’s ascent to heavyweight comes on the heels of back-to-back losses at light heavyweight. After winning consecutive fights against Tyson Pedro and Ovince Saint Preux, Sweden’s Latifi lost an unanimous decision to Corey Anderson at UFC 232 in December 2018.

In his most recent outing at UFC on ESPN+ 14 in August, Latifi was finished by Volkan Oezdemir by second-round stoppage due to strikes.

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Feb. 8 will mark a three-month turnaround for Lewis (22-7 MMA, 13-5 UFC) who just competed at UFC 244 on Nov. 2. In a back-and-forth brawl, Lewis defeated Bulgarian heavyweight Blagoy Ivanov by unanimous decision.

The victory at Madison Square Garden snapped a two-fight skid for the American, who had lost fights against Junior Dos Santos and Daniel Cormier.

Check out the current lineup for the UFC’s Feb. 8 event below:

  • Mirsad Bektic vs. Dan Ige
  • Ovince Saint Preux vs. Ryan Spann
  • Andrea Lee vs. Lauren Murphy
  • Ilir Latifi vs. Derrick Lewis

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