UFC Vegas 15- Curtis Blaydes vs Derrick Lewis: Prediction and Analysis

Curtis Blaydes takes on Derrick Lewis in the main event at UFC Vegas 15 this Saturday. This is an extremely interesting fight between two behemoths at heavyweight with massive title implications. The winner of this fight is most likely going to fight for the title after ‘The Predator’ 

Derrick Lewis is currently ranked 4th in the UFC’s heavyweight division; ‘Razor’ is the #2 ranked fighter. Both men are on an impressive win streaks and a win on Saturday will definitely help their cause in securing a title shot. 

Leading up to the bout, we take a closer look at the fight and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each fighter and highlight the possible route to victory for each fighter. 

Read: Derrick Lewis- Funniest moments in the UFC 

Curtis Blaydes vs Derrick Lewis for heavyweight supremacy 

‘Razor’ made his UFC debut in April 2016 with a loss against Ngannou. After the loss, he bounced back with an impressive TKO win over Cody East. He then went on a four-fight unbeaten streak before losing a rematch against ‘The Predator’ in November 2018. Since the second loss to Francis, Blaydes has been on a tear. He is currently on a four-fight win streak out of which two have come via stoppage. 

‘The Black Beast’ on the other hand made his debut in 2014 against Jack May he won the fight via TKO.  Since his debut, Derrick has won the majority of his fights in the UFC with a few losses is sprinkled in between. Lewis also fought for the title at UFC 230 against Daniel Cormier. However, he came up short against the champion. After his loss to Dos Santos, ‘The Black Beast’ bounced back impressively and is on a three-fight win streak at the moment.

Lewis has secured a mind-boggling 79% of his win via T/KO. He landed an impressive 2.53 significant strikes per minute with an accuracy of 49% in the UFC. In return, he absorbed only 2.14 significant strikes per minute. It is no secret that Lewis is most comfortable on his feet and will be looking to keep the fight there.

Curtis has also secured an impressive 71% of his wins via T/KO. However, despite his impressive boxing, he is also extremely good at wrestling and has used that predominantly in many of his fights. In the UFC, ‘Razor’ has landed an impressive 6.63 takedowns per 15 minutes with an accuracy of 55%. However, it will be difficult against ‘The Black Beast’ given that he has a takedown difference of 53%. 

Given that he has more routes to win and impressive wrestling to nullify Lewis’ wrestling. Blaydes should be able to extend his winning streak to 5-0 with a win over Derrick. 

Prediction: Curtis Blaydes via decision