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Check out the key facts, figures and footnotes for UFC on ESPN 18, which is headlined by Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis.
Check out the key facts, figures and footnotes for UFC on ESPN 18, which is headlined by Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis.
Curtis Blaydes spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 in Las Vegas.
Curtis Blaydes spoke to the media ahead of Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 in Las Vegas.
Curtis Blaydes isn’t buying Derrick Lewis’ claim of bringing a wrestling-heavy attack to their UFC on ESPN 18 headliner.
LAS VEGAS – Ahead of their heavyweight headliner at Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 event, [autotag]Curtis Blaydes[/autotag] doesn’t expect to see any new wrinkles from opponent [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag].
Sure, he admits “The Black Beast” has the power to end just about any fight with a single punch, but Blaydes believes most heavyweights do – and he thinks Lewis’ reliance on his power makes him an easy puzzle to solve.
“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.”
Of course, another facet of Lewis’ game that often garners his attention is his curious ability to simply stand up when taken down by grappling-minded opponents. It’s not always the prettiest of techniques, but Lewis has shown a real penchant for simply powering his way back to his feet.
Blaydes (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) believes he’s the best grappler Lewis (24-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) has faced so far, and that the feared slugger won’t be able to implement that approach against him.
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“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.”
Oddsmakers seem to agree with Blaydes’ assessment and currently have him installed as a rather sizable -370 favorite. With Blaydes currently ranked No. 3 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie heavyweight rankings, and Lewis just behind at No. 4, a title shot could potentially hang in the balance, and an impressive performance could go a long way toward securing that opportunity.
Blaydes believes the end result all boils down to how much heart Lewis is willing to show.
“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.”
UFC on ESPN 18 airs on ESPN2 and streams live on ESPN+ from UFC Apex. To hear Blaydes’ full media day interview, check out the video below.
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Asked about the hate his opponent has sent his way, Derrick Lewis described Curtis Blaydes as “a crab in a bucket.”
There’s long seemed to be a simmering tension between UFC heavyweights [autotag]Derrick Lewis[/autotag] and [autotag]Curtis Blaydes.[/autotag] Perhaps that’s only natural, given they’re both near the top of the division and seemed destined to meet in the octagon eventually.
After takings shots at one another over social media several times along the way, the time is finally here, as the duo will compete in the main event of UFC on ESPN 18 on Saturday night at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
During Wednesday’s virtual media day, Lewis (24-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) said that in the matchup of Black competitors, Blaydes (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) is simply resentful of his opponent’s success.
“Just a typical crab in a bucket, one of those type of Black guys, crab in a bucket,” Lewis said of Blaydes. “He doesn’t want to see another Black man make it. Typical.”
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Last time around, Lewis became the UFC’s heavyweight knockout king. His second-round finish of Aleksei Oleinik on Aug. 8 was his 11th KO/TKO finish inside the octagon, putting him first on the all-time list at 265 pounds.
Blaydes has called “The Black Beast,” who has gained enduring popularity for his ability to absorb beatings and then find a way to win, a predictable fighter. As far as Lewis is concerned, he doesn’t need to hide anything, so if Blaydes wants to call him predictable, go right ahead.
“Yeah, I am predictable,” Lewis said. “It’s fine if he thinks I’m predictable. I don’t care. They all know what I’m going to do, most of them. … This will be my 21st fight in the UFC. My game plan and my game, the way I fight, my style hasn’t changed. Guys said the same thing before. And you see that I’m the knockout king, so we’ll just see. I’m predictable, OK. He’s predictable, as well.”
Lewis rode his “predictable” style all the way to a title shot, where he lost to then-champion Daniel Cormier in November 2018 at UFC 230. Some might have written off Lewis as a contender after losing to Cormier and following up with a loss to Junior Dos Santos.
But he’s responded with three consecutive victories, and a win over Blaydes would make four. Lewis knows champion Stipe Miocic is likely to face Francis Ngannou next, but he believes a win here gives him the right to call next.
“I believe I should have the winner out of Ngannou and Stipe,” he said.
UFC on ESPN 18 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+.
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Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 lineup has lost one of the bouts scheduled for its main card.
Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 lineup has lost one of the bouts scheduled for its main card, as [autotag]Amir Albazi[/autotag] vs. [autotag]Zhalgas Zhumagulov[/autotag] has been removed from the lineup.
A passport issue has prevented Zhumagulov (13-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) from facing Albazi (13-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) in a flyweight bout at the upcoming event, which takes place at UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The bout is expected to be postponed to a later date.
MMA Junkie verified the fight scratch with a person close to the situation who wished to remaining anonymous. Russian news outlet TASS first shared the news, reporting that Zhumagulov’s U.S. visa was approved, but he did not receive his passport in time to compete at UFC on ESPN 18.
That means Albazi will have to wait a bit longer to make his second octagon appearance after his debut at UFC Fight Night 172 in July, where he won by first-round submission.
The latest UFC on ESPN 18 lineup now includes:
MAIN CARD (ESPN2/ESPN+, 10 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET)
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 event in Las Vegas.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 event in Las Vegas.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those MMA Junkie reader consensus picks will be part of the UFC on ESPN 18 event staff predictions we release Thursday ahead of the event. UFC on ESPN 18 takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. The event airs on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+.
Make your picks for the six main card fights below.
Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 card has lost a key lightweight matchup – but it didn’t go too far.
Saturday’s UFC on ESPN 18 card has lost a key lightweight matchup – but it didn’t go too far.
[autotag]Renato Moicano[/autotag] (14-3-1 MMA, 6-3 UFC) was set to take on [autotag]Rafael Fiziev[/autotag] (8-1 MMA, 2-1 UFC) this week, but a positive COVID-19 test for Moicano has pushed the bout to next month.
Instead, Moicano vs. Fiziev will take place at UFC 256, which takes place Dec. 12 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. MMA Junkie confirmed the move with a person with knowledge of the matchup following an initial report from MMAFighting.com.
After compiling a 5-3 record as a featherweight in the UFC, including wins over Calvin Kattar and Cub Swanson, Moicano moved up to lightweight and submitted Damir Hadzovic in just 44 seconds at UFC on ESPN+ 28 in March. He was scheduled to face Magomed Mustafaev in October, but was forced out due to undisclosed reasons.
Fiziev dropped his promotional debut to Mustafaev in April 2019, but rebounded with back-to-back wins over Alex White and, most recently, Marc Diakiese at UFC on ESPN+ 30 in July.
With the change, the UFC 256 lineup includes:
Kai Kamaka has stepped in on eight days’ notice to fight Jonathan Pearce.
[autotag]Jonathan Pearce[/autotag] has a new opponent for UFC on ESPN 18.
After [autotag]Sean Woodson[/autotag] withdrew from his scheduled Nov. 28 lightweight fight for unknown reasons, [autotag]Kai Kamaka[/autotag] has stepped in to fight Pearce (9-4 MMA, 0-1 UFC) at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on eight days’ notice.
Two people with knowledge of the matchup informed MMA Junkie of the booking Saturday but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Pearce looks to rebound from an unsuccessful UFC debut in October 2019. After earning his UFC contract on Dana White’s Contender Series, Pearce was quickly finished by Joe Lauzon at UFC on ESPN 8 in Boston.
Kamaka (8-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) made his UFC debut on short notice at UFC 252 in August. He took on fellow newcomer Tony Kelley, whom he defeated in a “Fight of the Night” bonus-earning unanimous decision win.
With the change, the UFC on ESPN 18 lineup now includes:
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Bantamweights will collide at UFC on ESPN 18.
Bantamweights will collide at UFC on ESPN 18.
[autotag]Nate Maness[/autotag] and [autotag]Luke Sanders[/autotag] will square off at the Nov. 28 event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
Multiple people with knowledge of the matchup recently informed MMA Junkie but asked to remain anonymous as the promotion has yet to make an official announcement.
Maness (12-1 MMA, 1-0 UFC) returns for his sophomore UFC bout after a successful first outing against Johnny Munoz by unanimous decision in August. Maness, 29, has won back-to-back fights. His lone career loss came against former UFC fighter Taylor Lapilus.
Sanders (13-3 MMA, 3-3 UFC) has not competed since a February 2019 TKO win vs. former UFC bantamweight champion Renan Barao. Most recently scheduled to fight in August against Chris Gutierrez, Sanders withdrew from the fight for undisclosed reasons.
With the addition, the UFC on ESPN 18 lineup includes:
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