No. 4 heavyweight Derrick Lewis (23-8, 18 KOs, 1 SUB) will meet veteran submission specialist Aleksei Oleinik (59-13, 8 KOs, 46 SUBs) in the main event at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik on August 8, 2020 at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the co-main event, former middleweight champion Chris Weidman (14-5) will meet Dagestan's Omari Akhmedov (20-4-1). Catch the main card action on ESPN starting 9pm ET. The UFC odds at BookMaker.eu opened with Derrick Lewis at -270, with Oleinik at +207 on the comeback. Let’s take a closer look at the main event, break down the matchup and go over your best betting picks at the UFC online sportsbook.
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Derrick Lewis (23-8, 18 KOs, 1 SUB)
While Derrick Lewis is a former title challenger, nobody ever really took him seriously as a title threat. There's levels to this. The Black Beast benefitted from some flashy knockouts and hilarious post-fight interviews, but DC quickly showed the world that you need more than knockout punching power to be a champ. Junior Dos Santos further proved that point, knocking out Lewis one fight later. But Lewis has since bounced back, scoring a split decision over Blagoy Ivanov and taking a unanimous decision over Ilir Latifi.
At 35 years old, Lewis is what he is. He is a devastating power puncher who unleashes unholy violence in spurts. Tipping the scales at 6'3, 265 pounds, Lewis is a big, strong guy that's extremely tough to take down. While he's got an excellent knockout ratio, we've also seen Lewis willingly give rounds away waiting for the perfect moment to unleash a fight-ending barrage. That's led to some truly tepid performances flipped around by last-second wins. The win over Volkov is the perfect example of this, as Lewis was pummeled for three rounds before ending things with a hail mary with just seconds left in the fight.
In this matchup, Lewis won't have to worry about being outstruck. But he should be absolutely terrified of going to the mat with a certified submission expert. As long as he's on his feet, he should be fine.
Aleksei Oleinik (59-13, 8 KOs, 46 SUBs)
It's not often you see an MMA fighter with 73 pro fights, but Oleinik is still going strong. In fact, the past few years have been the best of his career. After years of crushing it in on the regional European circuit, Oleinik has established himself as a solid big man in the world's best promotion. He's the guy that'll put an opponent's submission defense through the ringer - seven of his eight UFC wins have come by way of submission.
Our best advice for going up against Oleinik: protec ya neck! Oleinik is the owner of the only two ezekiel choke submissions in UFC history, and also specializes in a crushing neck crank. There's a reason he's nicknamed "The Boa Constrictor". If the Russian gets a hold of your back, grab your popcorn and take in a master going to work.
Significant Striking Stats
Strikes landed per minute: Lewis 2.53 / Oleinik 3.72
Striking accuracy: Lewis 49% / Oleinik 50%
Strikes absorbed per minute: Lewis 2.14 / Oleinik 3.30
Striking defense: Lewis 44% / Oleinik 47%
Grappling Stats
Takedown average: Lewis 0.48 / Oleinik 2.41
Takedown accuracy: Lewis 24% / Oleinik 46%
Takedown defense: Lewis 53% / Oleinik 35%
Submission average: Lewis 0.0 / Oleinik 2.2
UFC Picks
The thing with Lewis is that he has a habit of losing a fight until he wins it. Even against smaller guys like Ilir Latifi and Blagoy Ivanov, Lewis was unable to use his size and striking advantage to win. Oleinik has fought one-dimensional knockout punchers before, tapping guys like Junior Albini and Mark Hunt rather quickly. At this price, we’re willing to take a chance that he pulls off another submission.
UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Oleinik Card & Odds
Heavyweight - Aleksei Oleinik +176 vs. Derrick Lewis -214
Middleweight - Omari Akhmedov +104 vs. Chris Weidman -128
Lightweight - Scott Holtzman +134 vs. Beneil Dariush -162
Middleweight - Andrew Sanchez +134 vs. Wellington Turman -162
Lightweight - Alex Munoz +205 vs. Nasrat Haqparast -251
Welterweight - Tim Means +113 vs. Laureano Strapoli -137
Featherweight - Justin Jaynes +123 vs. Gavin Tucker -147
Featherweight - Peter Barret +327 vs. Youssef Zalal -425
Women Bantamweight - Julija Stoliarenko +194 vs. Yana Kunitskaya -238
Bantamweight - Ali Al Qaisi +162 vs. Irwin Rivera -196
Middleweight - Maki Pitolo +150 vs. Darren Stewart -181
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