Curtis Blaydes and former UFC Heavyweight Championship challenger Derrick Lewis were supposed to tangle in the main event for a UFC slate on ESPN back in November, but Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19, and the bout was pushed back to this weekend. On February 20, their heavyweight bout will serve as the headliner for UFC Fight Night 185. The co-main event is a women’s bantamweight fight between Ketlen Vieira and Yana Kunitskaya.
Check out our UFC betting predictions for the main fights as well as the full fight card.
UFC Fight Night 185: Blaydes vs Lewis
Main Card (ESPN+)
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)
Phil Hawes vs Nassourdine Imavov (Middleweight)
Andrei Arlovski vs Tom Aspinall (Heavyweight)
Preliminary Card (ESPN+)
Pat Sabatini vs Rafael Alves (Featherweight)
Jared Gordon vs Danny Chavez (Featherweight)
Drakkar Klose vs Luis Pena (Lightweight)
Eddie Wineland vs John Castaneda (Bantamweight)
Nate Landwehr vs Julian Erosa (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)
Curtis Blaydes (14-2, 9-2 UFC, -400) vs Derrick Lewis (24-7, 15-5 UFC, +325) gives us the best UFC heavyweight not named Francis Ngannou, in Curtis Blaydes, who has beaten all other comers in the Octagon. Blaydes started out with a strong wrestling reputation but has improved as a striker as well: he was able to deliver a KO over Junior dos Santos early in 2020. He followed that up with a win on the cards over Alexander Volkov in July, but that was a much more precarious win, as Blaydes stacked up points via takedowns in the early going, with Volkov coming back in the later rounds.
Now Blaydes faces another fighter with similar survival instincts but with bigger striking power. In his 2015 victory over Viktor Pesta, Lewis was taken down several times, but he kept his cool and wore down Pesta, delivering a knockout in the third round. His pattern was to get controlled on the ground and then deliver a knockout. This is a five-round fight, which means that the stamina factor will once again play a role. Blaydes will try to finish things on the ground, while Lewis will try to last and deliver a knockout later on. Blaydes has shown durability, though, and he’s the favorite for a reason.
Final Prediction:
Blaydes wins via decision
Ketlen Vieira (11-1, 5-1 UFC, -265) vs Yana Kunitskaya (13-5, 3-2 UFC, +225) is a fight that could put Vieira in the running for a title bout in the women’s bantamweight division. She likes to bring pressure and use her power, size and stamina to make up for her lack of technical skill. She doesn’t look like a polished fighter, but her punches bring punishment, and they push her opponents back so that she can put on the clinch. She beat Cat Zingano in 2018 and looked ready to be a top contender, but then some injuries, followed by a knockout loss to Irene Aldana, pushed her down the ladder. She came back in September with a demolition fo Sijara Eubanks, though.
Kunitskaya debuted in UFC as a tomato can for Cristiane “Cyborg” Justino before returning to the bantamweight division. She has a similar approach to Vieira, but does not bring as much power with her striking game. Her success comes from getting opponents into the clinch and then overpowering them. Kunitskaya has the edge in speed, but Vieira should still be able to control the fight.
Final Predicton:
Vieira wins via decision
UFC Betting Odds
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