On a Razor’s Edge
In Saturday’s main event, No 2. ranked Curtis “Razor” Blaydes goes head to head with No. 4 ranked Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis in a heavyweight contest. Blaydes comes into the bout on a four-fight win streak, having beaten Alexander Volkov in June and having KO’d former title holder Junior Dos Santos In January.
Lewis will also be looking to maintain his momentum and gain a fourth consecutive victory, having beaten Aleksei Oleinik in August and Ilir Latifi in February. He has a record of 19 wins by KO and one via submission, with seven of these victories inside the first round. He also holds wins over Francis Ngannou, Alexander Volkov and Travis Browne over the course of his career. It’s an exciting grappler vs. striker match up which is sure to be explosive.
A Lightweight Crusade
The co-main event is a light heavyweight matchup between No. 6 ranked Anthony Smith and Devin Clark. A technical striker who once fought Jon Jones for the title, Smith has victories over a number of notable names during his UFC career, including the likes of Alexander Gustafsson, Mauricio “Shogun” Rua and Rashad Evans. After a difficult start to the year, “Lionheart” will be looking to build on his winning record having won four of his last seven contests.
Devin Clark goes into the bout enjoying a successful year thus far with back-to-back victories, having won third-round victories with unanimous decisions over Alonzo Menifield and Dequan Townsend. The “Brown Bear” is a strong wrestler and has won six of his last nine to bring his record to 6-4 in the UFC and 12-4 overall.
A victory will be vital for both athletes but who will succeed?
New Kids on the Block
Also, on the main card this weekend, Contender Series alum Josh Parisian makes his UFC debut against heavyweight Parker Porter. Parisian can feel confident ahead of his debut as currently enjoys a six-fight winning streak. His last outing on the Contender Series saw him gain a first-round knockout over Chad Johnson and he’ll be looking to prove his worth as he steps inside the Octagon® this weekend.
His opponent Porter has yet to make his mark in UFC following his debut earlier this year when he was stopped by Chris Daukaus at UFC 252®. He’ll be looking to establish his place in the heavyweight division with a victory on Saturday.
Both athletes don’t favour going the distance so this should be a fast-action-packed bout not to be missed.
