Derrick Lewis is expected to welcome Ilir Latifi to the heavyweight division in a fight currently targeted for a UFC card on Feb. 8 that’s expected to take place in Houston, Texas.
While the card hasn’t been announced by the promotion, the Feb. 8 show is rumored to be the UFC 247 pay-per-view, but nothing has been made official just yet.
Multiple sources close to the situation confirmed verbal agreements are in place for the fight when speaking to MMA Fighting on Monday following an initial report from ESPN.
If the show is finalized for the Toyota Center in Houston, Lewis will get the chance to perform close to home as he looks to build on his recent win over Blagoy Ivanov at UFC 244. Lewis has gone 4-2 in his past six fights including wins over Francis Ngannou and Alexander Volkov.
Meanwhile, Latifi will test the waters in the heavyweight division after spending his entire UFC career competing at 205 pounds.
The Swedish “Sledgehammer” will attempt to bounce back from consecutive losses, which precipitated the move up in weight for his return to action.
Lewis vs. Latifi is the latest rumored bout for the Feb. 8 card with more fights expected to be added in the coming weeks in anticipation of the UFC officially announcing the event.
Source: MMAfighting.com