Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) returns to action once again this Saturday night (Feb. 20, 2021) with UFC Vegas 19 inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, which will feature a Heavyweight slugfest between heavy hitters Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes.
The winner of the big man showdown is expected to earn a shot at the 265-pound title — after Jon Jones, of course — so there is a lot on the line for both men since “Black Beast” is looking for his second shot at becoming UFC champion while “Razor” wants to taste a title fight for the first time.
Blaydes has been on quite a run for the last few years, winning eight of his last nine including four straight. Among his wins during that span was his knockout win over Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 242 back in 2019.
After dominating the first five minutes with his tremendous wrestling skills, Blaydes was close to finishing the fight in the final 10 seconds of the opening frame, delivering a vicious ground-and-pound attack which would have ended the fight if he had a few more seconds on the clock.
In round two, “Razor” picked up right where he left off, taking Shamil down and smothering him for two and a half minutes before the referee on duty eventually put an end to the fight midway through the round as a result of Blaydes’ relentless striking from top position.
Now, the big man will look to earn one of the biggest wins of his career thus far by taking out a man who he isn’t very fond of in Lewis. A win not only secures him a shot at the strap, but bragging rights for days.
To see the entire UFC Vegas 19: “Blaydes vs. Lewis” fight card click here.