Blaydes pulled out of Almeida fight, Lewis will replace him

Former UFC heavyweight title challenger Derrick Lewis agreed to replace Curtis Blades in a five-round fight with Gilton Almeida. The showdown will headline UFC Fight Night 231 on November 4 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

MMA Fighting reports this with reference to its own sources. However, it is still unclear why Blaydes refused the fight.

Let us remember that in July Lewis (27-11) interrupted a series of three defeats, defeating Marcos Rogerio de Lima by technical knockout. In August, the 38-year-old American signed a new agreement with the promotion for 8 fights.

Almeida (19-2), in turn, has been on a 14-fight winning streak since 2018. In his last appearance in the Octagon, the 32-year-old Brazilian “strangled” Jairzinho Rozenstruik.