Derrick Lewis will return to the scene of his title-fight loss after spending the majority of the year on the sidelines.
Lewis (21-7 MMA, 12-5 UFC), the former UFC heavyweight title challenger, will make his comeback from ACL surgery when he meets Blagoy Ivanov (18-2 MMA, 2-1 UFC) at UFC 244 in November.
MMA Junkie verified agreements are in place for the matchup with a person close to the situation following an initial report from ESPN.com. The person requested anonymity because the UFC has yet to make an official announcement.
UFC 244 takes place Nov. 2 at Madison Square Garden in New York. The main card airs on pay-per-view following prelims expected for ESPN and ESPN+/UFC Fight Pass.
Lewis, No. 5 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMA Junkie MMA heavyweight rankings, will attempt to rebound from back-to-back losses. He suffered a title-fight defeat to Daniel Cormier at UFC 230 in November then dropped his next fight to Junior Dos Santos at UFC on ESPN+ 4 in March. He opted for knee surgery following the bout, and has been on the sidelines since.
No. 12-ranked Ivanov will attempt to continue his climb up the rankings at Lewis’ expense. The Bulgarian has already picked up UFC wins over Tai Tuivasa and Ben Rothwell this year and has dropped just one fight over his past eight.
