by Darren Moore
A heavyweight bout between Curtis “Razor” Blaydes (14-2-1 NC) and former UFC Heavyweight Championship challenger Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (24-7-1 NC) takes place at UFC Fight Night from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
For all the latest UFC odds for this main event plus all the under-card fights.
Curtis Blaydes should be capable of stopping Derrick Lewis
It’s a battle between two of the top four heavyweights, as the No. 2-ranked Curtis Blaydes takes on No. 4-ranked Lewis, in a fight postponed from the end of November 2020 when Blaydes contracted COVID-19 just days before the fight was scheduled to take place.
Curtis Blaydes
Age: 29
From: Naperville, Illinois, United States
Height: 1.93 m
Weight: 118 kg
Nickname: Razor
Wrestling: NJCAA Wrestling
Blaydes comes into the bout on a four-fight winning streak, which includes a unanimous decision win over No. 5-ranked Alexander Volkov back in June last year. A win against Lewis would put Blaydes firmly on course for a shot at the UFC title for the first time.
Derrick Lewis
Age: 36
From: New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
Height: 1.9 m
Weight: 120 kg
Nickname: The Black Beast
Martial Arts: Boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu
Lewis, who lost to a second-round submission when fighting Daniel Cormier for the title in November 2018, is on a good run of his own having won three consecutive bouts. Last time out the Texan had a second-round TKO victory against No. 10-ranked Aleksei Oleinik in August 2020.
A win over Blaydes would put “The Black Beast” himself in the frame for another title bid against the winner in the rematch between heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and No. 1-ranked Francis Ngannou on March 27 at UFC 260.
Blaydes v Lewis Odds & Picks
Blaydes is a warm favorite going at odds of -450 with Bellagio into this fight and, although Lewis (+350) possesses the striking power to finish the fight early, Razor’s superior wrestling ability should see him emerge victorious. Backing Blaydes to win by KO/TKO could be the value bet here. It is available at odds of -150 with BetOnline.
More UFC Fight Night 158 Odds & Picks
Elsewhere on this UFC Fight Night card, Ketlen Vieira looks capable of seeing off Yana Kunitskaya in the Women’s Bantamweight bout, although it could go the distance.
There’s also a Featherweight bout between Charles Rosa and Darrick Minner that looks likely to be very tight, although Rosa’s greater experience could see him shade it on a decision.
The experienced Aleksei Oleinik takes on the much younger Chris Daukaus in a Heavyweight bout, where the veteran fighter’s superior grappling skills should win the day.
UFC Picks – Summary
UFC Betting Pick for Main Event
- Curtis Blaydes v Derrick Lewis Method of Victory – Blaydes to Win by KO/TKO -150 with BetOnline
Other UFC Predictions
- Ketlen Vieira v Yana Kunitskaya – Method of Victory: Vieira to Win by Decision -125 with BetOnline
- Charles Rosa v Darrick Minner – Method of Victory: Rosa to Win by Decision +325 with BetOnline
- Aleksei Oleinik v Chris Daukaus – Method of Victory: Oleinik by Submission +225 with BetOnline
All UFC betting odds were correct at the time of publication. All UFC odds are subject to change.
Darren lives & breathes sports betting and is always sniffing out his next value bet. His favourite sports to bet on are the NFL, horse racing and UFC but he will bet on anything if he thinks the odds are favourable.
