One of the more popular figures in the UFC will be making his return on August 8th. Per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the always-entertaining, Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (23-7, 1 NC), will be making his return in a headlining fight against top-15 heavyweight, Alexey Oleinik.
The Black Beast is looking for another UFC title shot
Derrick Lewis became a sensation after his come from behind knockout of Alexander Volkov at UFC 229. The most watched UFC PPV in history featured Lewis knocking out Volkov with just seconds remaining in the fight, after he had been losing the entire time. Lewis’ post-fight interviewing skills are legendary, and a star was born that night. Lewis went from the Volkov fight to fighting for the title against Daniel Cormier. Lewis lost that fight then he lost again to former champion, Junior dos Santos. Since that loss, Lewis has bounced back with back-to-back victories over Blagoy Ivanov and Ilir Latifi. Lewis is currently ranked as the fourth best heavyweight in the UFC, and a victory on August 8th would put him in the title conversation once again.
Seasoned and Tested
Probably the most seasoned fighter in the UFC is heavyweight, Alexey Oleinik. At 42-years-old, Oleinik has fought 73 times professionally to a record of 59-13-1. Oleinik hit a bump in the road in 2019 after losing fights to Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris. Oleinik has bounced back strong in 2020. Oleinik has fought and won twice this year against Maurice Green and former heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum. A win over Lewis would be massive for Oleinik. Oleinik is currently ranked as the 11th best heavyweight in the UFC, but a win over Lewis would vault him closer to the top five.