The heavyweight matchup between rivals Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis will go down in February.
After their original meeting in November fell apart on weigh-in day due to a positive COVID-19 test for Blaydes, the clash with Lewis has been rescheduled, MMA Junkie verified with a person close to the situation that the matchup has been agreed upon following an initial report from ESPN. The person requested anonymity because UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
Blaydes (14-2 MMA, 9-2 UFC) and Lewis (24-7 MMA, 15-5 UFC) will now headline a UFC Fight Night event on Feb. 20. A location and broadcast plans for the card are unknown at this time.
The top-ranked heavyweight have still not fought each other, but they have history. The two big men have engaged trash talk through the media in recent months.
After his recent victory over Aleksei Oleinik on Aug. 8, Lewis called for a fight against Blaydes. His wish was granted.
Blaydes is riding a four-fight winning streak, having defeated Justin Willis, Shamil Abdurakhimov, Junior dos Santos, and Alexander Volkov in succession. His only two career losses have come to Francis Ngannou.
As for Lewis, “The Black Beast” is riding a three-fight winning streak with victories over Aleksei Oleinik, Ilir Latifi, and Blagoy Ivanov.
The latest lineup for the UFC’s Feb. 20 event now includes:
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis
- Chris Daukaus vs. Aleksei Oleinik
- Darrick Minner vs. Charles Rosa
- Jai Herbert vs. Drakkar Klose
- Danny Chavez vs. Jared Gordon
- Shana Dobson vs. Casey O’Neill
- Jamall Emmers vs. Chas Skelly
- Matt Brown vs. Carlos Condit
- Vinicius Moreira vs. Ike Villanueva
