Derrick Lewis will look to hand undefeated Chris Daukaus his first loss inside the Octagon.
According to ESPN’s Brett Okamoto, who got told by UFC president, Dana White, Lewis will face Daukaus on December 18. The bout will be a part of Fight Night card. It’s uncertain if it will be the main event or will just be a three-round fight on the main card.
Derrick Lewis (25-8, 1 NC) is coming off a TKO loss to Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title. Prior to that, he was on a four-fight winning streak where he KO’d Curtis Blaydes and TKO’ Alexey Oleynik and also beat Ilir Latifi and Blagoy Ivanov by decision. He’s currently the third-ranked heavyweight and holds notable wins over Francis Ngannou, Alexander Volkov, and Marcin Tybura.
Chris Daukaus (12-3) is 4-0 inside the Octagon and coming off a TKO win over Shamil Abdurakhimov at UFC 266 on Saturday. Prior to that, he TKO’d Alexey Oleynik and knocked out Rodrigo Nascimento and a TKO win over Parker Porter. He’s currently ranked 10th at heavyweight but will likely move up into the top-eight once the rankings update.
“I expect him to take care of another couple guys, I’ll take care of two or three guys, and then whenever the whole mess up at the top (of the heavyweight division) figures itself out, I’ll fight Tom (Aspinall) for the No. 1 contender spot,” Daukaus said after his fight at UFC 266, where many mentioned Lewis as a possible opponent.
