The UFC returns to action with UFC Fight Night from the UFC Apex in Las Vegas in a battle of top four heavyweights at the top of the bill, as No. 2-ranked Curtis Blaydes takes on No. 4-ranked Derrick Lewis.
Blaydes and Lewis were set to square off back at the end of November. Days before the fight, Blaydes contracted COVID-19 and the bout was subsequently pulled.
Blaydes (14-2, one no-contest) enters the contest on a four-fight winning streak, including a unanimous decision win over No. 5-ranked Alexander Volkov in a UFC Fight Night headliner back in June. A win against Lewis would move Blaydes toward his first UFC title shot.
Lewis (24-7, one no-contest), a former heavyweight title challenger, is on a good run of his own. The Texas native has won three consecutive bouts, including a second-round TKO victory against No. 10-ranked Aleksei Oleinik in a UFC Fight Night main event back in August. Getting a victory over Blaydes would give "The Black Beast" another opportunity at UFC gold after losing by second-round submission to Daniel Cormier at UFC 230 in November 2018.
The winner is expected to put himself in a position to make the claim of being the No. 1 contender and take on whoever emerges victorious in the rematch between heavyweight champion Stipe Miocic and No. 1-ranked Francis Ngannou on March 27 at UFC 260.
Here is everything you need to know about UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis.
When is UFC Fight Night: Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis?
- Date: Saturday, Feb. 20
- Prelims: 5 p.m. ET
- Main card: 8 p.m. ET
UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis takes place Saturday night, Feb. 20. Prelims get underway at 5 p.m. ET, followed by the main card at 8 p.m. ET.
How to watch UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis TV, live stream info
In the United States, the prelims and main card are on ESPN+.
In Canada, the prelims (5 p.m. ET) and main card are on TSN5.
In the U.K., UFC Fight Night can be seen live BT Sport 1 (prelims at 11 p.m. GMT and main card at 1 a.m. on Sunday).
In Germany, Austria, Italy and Spain, the UFC Fight Night main card (2 a.m. CET Sunday) is available on DAZN, the global sports streaming service.
More details about how to watch in other countries can be found at UFC.com.
Where is UFC Fight Night?
UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis will take place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas. Blaydes and Lewis compete at the Apex for the second time.
UFC Fight Night odds
Bet MGM (as of Feb. 15) has installed Blaydes as a massive favorite at -350, meaning you'd need to bet $350 to win $100. Meanwhile, Lewis is at +280, meaning if you bet $100, you'd net $280.
Curtis Blaydes record, bio
- Name: Curtis Blaydes
- Nationality: American
- Born: February 18, 1991
- Height: 6-4
- Reach: 80 inches
- Total fights: 16
- Record: 14-1 with one no-contest
Derrick Lewis record, bio
- Name: Derrick Lewis
- Nationality: American
- Born: Oct. 24, 1988
- Height: 6-3
- Reach: 79 inches
- Total fights: 32
- Record: 24-7 with one no-contest
UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis fight card
Main card
- Curtis Blaydes vs. Derrick Lewis; Heavyweight
- Ketlen Vieira vs. Yana Kunitskaya; Women's Bantamweight
- Charles Rosa vs. Darrick Minner; Featherweight
- Aleksei Oleinik vs. Chris Daukaus; Heavyweight
- Rafael Alves vs. Pat Sabatini; Featherweight
- Andrei Arlovski vs. Tom Aspinall; Heavyweight
Preliminary card
- Phil Hawes vs. Nassourdine Imavov; Middleweight
- Danny Chavez vs. Jared Gordon; Featherweight
- Drakkar Klose vs. Luis Peña; Lightweight
- Eddie Wineland vs. John Castañeda; Bantamweight
- Julian Erosa vs. Nate Landwehr; Featherweight
- Shana Dobson vs. Casey O'Neill; Women's Flyweight
- Chas Skelly vs. Jamall Emmers; Featherweight
- Aiemann Zahabi vs. Drako Rodriguez; Bantamweight
- Sergey Spivak vs. Jared Vanderaa; Heavyweight