A fight between fan-favorite heavyweights Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa has been added to the UFC 271 next month on February 12.
A battle of fan-favorite heavyweights has been added on roughly a month’s notice to UFC 271 as Derrick Lewis will face Tai Tuivasa on February 12. MMAJunkie was first to report the news.
Lewis (26-8) enters as the newly minted all-time knockout leader in the history of the UFC following his first round finish of Chris Daukaus last month. “The Black Beast” has been on an impressive 5-1 run over the past two years with finishes over the likes of Curtis Blaydes and Alexey Oleinik and a victory at UFC 271 would keep him at the top of the division. The return to his hometown is notable as Lewis expressed that the pressure of fighting in Houston for the interim title was part of his poor performance against Ciryl Gane last August.
Tuivasa (14-3) has enjoyed a return to form in the past two years with four consecutive electrifying finishes. Following an 0-3 skid, “Bam Bam” has turned in stoppages of Harry Hunsucker, Stefan Struve, Greg Hardy, and Augusto Sakai to return to the top 15 of the UFC’s rankings. Both he and Lewis return with roughly the same amount of time as they competed a week apart last month.
The card is scheduled to be headlined by the middleweight title rematch between Israel Adesanya and Robert Whittaker. The event is set to take place at the Toyota Center in Houston.
