Derrick Lewis will look to shake off a dull performance against Francis Ngannou when he returns at UFC 229 to face Alexander Volkov.
UFC 229 just got a hefty addition, as it appears ‘The Black Beast’ is being paired off with Alexander Volkov at the event. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto first broke the news, citing UFC President Dana White. The booking was “close to being finalized” — and if it holds, it puts one of the pair that much closer to a title fight with the winner of Daniel Cormier vs. Brock Lesnar. Assuming that fight goes off without a hitch.
Lewis, for one, had a little fun with the news, playing on a recent Nate Diaz tweet.
I’m not fighting on that fucking card. fuck the @NFL 🌚
— Derrick Lewis (@Thebeast_ufc) August 8, 2018
Joking aside, it appears the Lewis vs. Volkov fight is all but set. It’s a fight Volkov had called for previously. In Lewis (20-5, 1NC), he gets a formidable opponent coming off one of the most lackluster heavyweight performances in recent memory. Despite getting the win, Lewis’ fight against Francis Ngannou at UFC 226 was the talk of the town for all the wrong reasons: mainly, a nearly complete lack of action. The upside, the fault lay more on the side of Ngannou, and Lewis still remains a feared power puncher among the biggest of big men.
Alexander Volkov (30–6), meanwhile, is perfect in the UFC to date. The former Bellator MMA heavyweight champion has won six straight, and all four of his UFC outings. Last time out, he knocked out former UFC heavyweight champion Fabricio Werdum.
UFC 229 takes place October 6 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV. Conor McGregor returns in the main event to face current lightweight champion Khabib Nurmagomedov.
