When Ilir Latifi (14-7) said he was ready to test the heavyweight division, it is hard to imagine his first bout would be against Derrick “My Balls Was Hot” Lewis (22-7), but ESPN is reporting that the bout is close to being finalized for February 8.
The “Sledgehammer” was stopped by Volkan Oezdemir in August in a light heavyweight bout. During fight week, he talked about the possibility of fighting at heavyweight and even mentioned Lewis as a possible opponent. Latifi is in need of a turnaround, as he also lost his previous bout to Corey Anderson at UFC 232 back in December.
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Lewis is coming off of a split decision win over Blagoy Ivanov that took place earlier in the month at UFC 247. The Houston native challenged for the heavyweight title in November of 2018, losing to Latifi’s former training partner Daniel Cormier.
Latifi, #12 LHW contneder, is 36 years old and Lewis, the #5 HW contender, is 34 years old. The bout is rumoured to be in the “Black Beast’s” backyard of Houston, Texas.
