Two of the best heavyweights in the world will clash with title implications on the line.
Curtis Blaydes and Derrick Lewis meet Saturday in the main event of UFC Fight Night in Las Vegas. The bout was initially scheduled for back on Nov. 28, but Blaydes tested positive for COVID-19 and the contest was pulled one day prior to the event.
ESPN has Blaydes ranked No. 3 and Lewis ranked No. 5 at heavyweight. While Francis Ngannou is getting the next title shot at champion Stipe Miocic next month at UFC 260, and all-time great Jon Jones seems waiting in the wings for the winner, the Blaydes vs. Lewis victor puts himself in pole position in case something happens with any of those athletes.
Blaydes (14-2, 1 NC) has won four straight and is coming off a unanimous-decision win over Alexander Volkov last June. The Illinois native, who trains out of Colorado's Elevation Fight Team, has lost to only one man in the UFC: Ngannou, and he has done that twice. Blaydes, 30, is a former NJCAA national champion in wrestling and makes no apologies for his takedown and ground-control style in MMA.
Lewis (24-7, 1 NC) has won three straight, including a knockout win over Aleksei Oleinik in August. The Houston resident owns the most knockouts in UFC heavyweight history (11). Lewis, a 36-year-old fan favorite, has won six of eight and 12 of 15 overall.
In the co-main event, Ketlen Vieira meets Yana Kunitskaya in a catchweight bout. Vieira missed weight Friday by two pounds. ESPN has Vieira ranked No. 7 in the world at women's bantamweight and Kunitskaya at No. 9. Vieira (11-1) bounced back from her first career loss by beating Sijara Eubanks in September. Kunitskaya (13-5, 1 NC) has won three of four.
Also on the card, Oleinik meets Chris Daukaus in an intriguing heavyweight bout, veteran lightweight Charles Rosa faces Darrick Minner and former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski fights up-and-comer Tom Aspinall.
Jeff Wagenheim and Marc Raimondi recap the action as it happens. You can also watch the fights on ESPN+.
Fight in progress
Heavyweight: Andrei Arlovski (30-19 1 NC, 18-13 1 NC UFC, +210) vs. Tom Aspinall (9-2, 2-0 UFC, -260)
Results:
Men's featherweight: Jared Gordon (17-4, 5-3 UFC) defeats Danny Chavez (11-4, 1-1 UFC) by unanimous decision
Against a solid striker with fast hands, Gordon put in a veteran performance.
Gordon took Chavez down in the second and third rounds and grinded out a unanimous decision win (30-27, 30-27, 29-28) in a catchweight bout. Gordon missed weight by four pounds Friday morning for what should have been a featherweight bout. Gordon forfeited 30% of his purse to Chavez.
Jared has best gnp in featherweight
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) February 21, 2021
Chavez had success on the feet with quick combinations in the first round. But by the end of the first, Gordon timed Chavez's speed and started landing hard combinations of his own. In the second and third, Gordon had success on the feet, but he was able to get Chavez down in both rounds and on the mat the bout was one-sided. Chavez didn't have many answers as Gordon landed shots from top position.
Gordon, 32, has won two straight and three of four. The New York native, who trains at Sanford MMA in Florida, has only lost to top lightweight Charles Oliveira since 2018. Chavez, a 33-year-old Florida resident, had a four-fight winning streak snapped.
-- Raimondi
Men's bantamweight: John Castañeda (18-5, 1-1 UFC) defeats Eddie Wineland (24-15-1, 6-9 UFC) by first-round TKO
Castañeda was getting beaten to the punch early, but once he tried leading the dance midway through Round 1, he could not miss, producing a TKO at 4:44 of Round 1 to secure his first UFC victory.
The 29-year-old native of Mexico, who fights out of Minneapolis, could not get going in the opening minutes, as Wineland staked out the center of the cage and pursued him aggressively with combinations of punches and kicks. Then, in the last minute of the round, Castañeda landed a straight right hand flush on the chin, wobbling Wineland. Castañeda went in pursuit, unleashing a flurry of six more punches, every one of which connected, the final one dropping his veteran opponent and leading to the stoppage.
For Wineland, 36, a former WEC bantamweight champion from Chesterton, Indiana, who was in his 40th career fight, it was the fourth loss in his last five bouts.
Castañeda is a veteran of 23 pro fights but just one previous one in the UFC. He came into the bout having lost three of his past four bouts, including his UFC debut last July.
-- Wagenheim
Men's featherweight: Julian Erosa (25-9, 4-4 UFC) defeats Nate Landwehr (14-4, 1-2 UFC) via first-round TKO
Erosa had Landwehr in trouble with uppercuts in the clinch. As Landwehr retreated toward the cage, Erosa came forward and landed a huge flying knee. Landwehr crashed to the canvas -- and that was it.
Referee Mark Smith stepped in and pulled Erosa off. Landwehr argued. But Erosa was awarded a TKO win at :56 of the first round. Landwehr seemed to still be coherent and attempting to defend at the finish, but Smith thought otherwise.
JUICY J!@juicyj_erosa poured it on to earn the TKO finish at #UFCVegas19 pic.twitter.com/CyVi1aYTtS
— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) February 20, 2021
"[Smith] saved his life," Erosa said. "[Landwehr] was gonna die. He pulled me off him."
Landwehr actually clipped Erosa with a punch and briefly dropped him, before Erosa fired back in a big way.
"I'm willing to die tonight in that cage, I told myself in the back," Erosa said. "He caught me with a punch, I don't really even remember it. I just remember getting up off my knee and pushing forward."
Erosa, 31, has won three straight, including his last two in the UFC. The Seattle native was actually released by the UFC in 2019 after three straight losses, but has worked his way back and is now finding success. Landwehr, a 32-year-old Tennessee native, has dropped two of three.
-- Raimondi
Women's flyweight: Casey O'Neill (6-0, 1-0 UFC) defeats Shana Dobson (4-5, 2-4 UFC) by second-round TKO
O'Neill did not look like a fighter making her UFC debut. She did look like someone who's undefeated.
The 23-year-old from Australia, who was born in Scotland and has lived Down Under since age 10, was dominant from start to merciful finish in keeping her record perfect in her first Octagon appearance.
No joke, this is Casey's pace everyday in the gym. Absolute killer. 👹 #UFCVegas19
— Eric Nicksick (@Eric_XCMMA) February 20, 2021
O'Neill got an early takedown, and when she lost the position, she simply went for it again. By the end of Round 1, she was on top of Dobson, dropping elbows and threatening a submission.
Round 2 was more of the same. O'Neill took the fight to the canvas immediately and seized dominant position, for back control and then full mount. Dobson tried her best to escape the position, but O'Neill deftly maintained control. She delivered elbows and punches until the referee jumped in at 3:41 of the round.
Dobson, who is 31 and a Miami native, trains in Denver as part of Team Elevation, the same team as main-eventer Curtis Blaydes. She has lost four of her past five bouts.
-- Wagenheim
Canceled: Men's featherweight: Chas Skelly (18-3 1 NC, 7-3 1 NC UFC, +180) vs. Jamall Emmers (18-5, 1-1 UFC, -220)
Skelly made his entrance to the Octagon and was waiting for Emmers to enter for their featherweight bout. But Emmers never did.
Per the UFC broadcast, Emmers had back spasms backstage at the UFC Apex and was unable to compete. Octagon announcer Joe Martinez made the announcement that the bout was canceled.
Wow that's crazy back spasms are no joke uncontrollable
— Belal Muhammad (@bullyb170) February 20, 2021
"I feel like I should get my win bonus," Skelly said. "I weighed in, I made weight, I stepped in the cage. That's how I feel. I hope Jamall is OK. No animosity. It sucks."
Skelly said he isn't sure if he wants to come back and fight quickly because of his big weight cut.
"It's not easy for me to make weight," Skelly said. "I don't want to turn right around and do the weight cut all over again next week. I don't want to put my body in that yo-yo."
-- Raimondi
Men's bantamweight: Aiemann Zahabi (8-2, 2-2 UFC) defeats Drako Rodriguez (7-2, 0-1 UFC) by first-round KO
Zahabi had not been in a fight since 2019. What difference would three more idle minutes make?
The 33-year-old from Montreal, who trains in the Tristar Gym of his older brother, Firas Zahabi, threw barely a strike over the first half of the opening round. But then he unleashed an overhand right that collapsed Rodriguez for the one-punch knockout at 3:05 of Round 1.
When you're down with your back against the wall, there's no better feeling then getting a big win like that. #UFCVegas19
— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) February 20, 2021
In Zahabi's first fight since May 2019 and second appearance since 2017, he ended a two-fight losing streak.
Rodriguez, who is 24 and fighting out of Sioux City, Iowa, was making his UFC debut. He came out as the aggressor and landed some clean shots early, including a couple of lead uppercuts. But when Zahabi finally connected, it was lights out for Rodriguez, who saw a three-fight winning streak come to an end.
This bout originally was scheduled to happen in December, but Zahabi tested positive for COVID-19. The rescheduled fight took place at 140.5-pound catchweight after Rodriguez missed the bantamweight limit on Friday.
-- Wagenheim
Heavyweight: Serghei Spivac (12-2, 3-2 UFC) defeats Jared Vanderaa (11-5, 0-1 UFC) by second-round TKO
Spivac left Vanderaa in a puddle of his own blood.
On top for most of the second round, Spivac pounded away from the position. The punches were not the hardest -- both men were clearly tired. But referee Chris Tognoni called off the bout at 4:32 of the second, ruling Spivac the winner by TKO.
The first round went similarly. Spivac dominated on the ground and Vanderaa had few answers. Spivac seems like a legitimate prospect in the heavyweight division.
Spivac, 26, has won two straight and three of five fights in the UFC. The Ukraine native, who fights out of Moldova, has nine finishes in 12 career wins. Vanderra, a 28-year-old Washington native, was making his UFC debut following a first-round TKO against Harry Hunsucker on Dana White's Contender Series last November.
-- Raimondi
Still to come:
Heavyweight: Curtis Blaydes (14-2 1 NC, 9-2 1 NC UFC, -380) vs. Derrick Lewis (24-7 1 NC, 15-5 UFC, +300)
Women's bantamweight: Ketlen Vieira (11-1, 5-1 UFC, -280) vs. Yana Kunitskaya (13-5, 3-2 UFC, +230)
Men's featherweight: Charles Rosa (13-4, 4-4 UFC, -190) vs. Darrick Minner (25-11, 1-1 UFC, +160)
Heavyweight: Aleksei Oleinik (59-14-1, 8-5 UFC, +160) vs. Chris Daukaus (10-3, 2-0 UFC, -190)
Middleweight: Phil Hawes (9-2, 1-0 UFC, -125) vs. Nassourdine Imavov (9-2, 1-0 UFC, +105)
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