There’s long seemed to be a simmering tension between UFC heavyweights Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes. 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.”
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+.
