UFC Vegas 15: Blaydes vs Lewis betting odds, tips & predictions

UFC Vegas 15: Blaydes vs Lewis betting preview

Now that Daniel Cormier has retired, the rest of the heavyweight division will finally get a crack at Stipe Miocic for the UFC Heavyweight Championship. Francis Ngannou is next in line, and the pecking order after him is currently no.2 contender Curtis Blaydes, no.3 contender Jairzinho Rozenstruik, and no.4 contender Derrick Lewis. A Blaydes win over Lewis in Saturday’s UFC Vegas 15 main event would likely solidify him as the next in line for a title shot.

Blaydes (14-2-0) has only suffered two losses in his professional career; one to the aforementioned Ngannou back in 2016 and another to the same fighter in 2018. He is 14-0 against everyone else, including a current four-fight winning streak. Blaydes is an elite wrestler that has used his grappling ability to dominate the heavyweight division, wearing his opponents out with ground control and striking on the mat.

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Lewis (24-7-0) is one of the division’s hardest hitters. Lewis has earned 19 of his 24 professional wins by way of knockout and is one of only two fighters in the UFC to have defeated Ngannou. As long as there is still time left on the clock, there is still a chance for Lewis, as all it takes is one well-timed strike to turn the result of a fight upside down.

With that in mind, Lewis may seem like a tempting underdog, especially at the +333 quote for a win by knockout. But there’s a reason that money has poured in for Blaydes all week long. Blaydes is too strong of a wrestler and too smart of a fighter to make the mistake of trading blows with Derrick Lewis in the center of the octagon.

Blaydes knows that his room for error in this division is razor thin. Even with a win, he may still get jumped for a title shot if Jon Jones gets an immediate fight against the Miocic vs Ngannou winner for the championship. He can’t control the fights that the UFC makes, but he can control taking care of business in the octagon, and we expect him to do just that with a ground-and-pound victory over Lewis.