Now that UFC 229 is over and done with, it’s time to move on to the next big PPV event, and that’s next month’s UFC 230 event, taking place November 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Controversy ensued last week when the UFC announced the flyweight title bout between Valentina Shevchenko and Sijara Eubanks would headline the card, but it appears that fan outrage has caused the UFC to reconsider that fight as the main event, and I’ll write about the possible new main event in today’s MMA odds and ends.
Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis Being Discussed As UFC 230 Main Event
According to a report from ESPN.com’s Brett Okamoto, the UFC is discussing a new headliner for UFC 230. It would see UFC heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier take on Derrick Lewis. The fight has not been made official yet but ESPN has broken a lot of big fights lately and it would seem there’s a serious possibility this heavyweight fight would headline UFC 230.
At first glance, it’s kind of crazy Cormier vs. Lewis could wind up main eventing UFC 230. We all thought the plan was for Cormier to wait for Brock Lesnar’s return to the Octagon in 2018, but desperate times call for desperate measures and the UFC needs a better main event for UFC 230. This fight between Cormier and Lewis would certainly qualify as a big fight, albeit one that has some media members and fans scratching their heads. Aside from the fact the card is less than a month away, which would mean a very short camp for the champion, Lewis himself just said at UFC 229 after he knocked out Alexander Volkov that he wants to work on his cardio and that he doesn’t feel ready for a title shot. So it’s kind of curious the UFC is considering this fight right now.
Having said that, it’s clear the UFC wants to strike while the iron is hot, and if Lewis is ever going to get a title shot then it makes sense to give it to him now following UFC 229, as he became a mega star in the sport at the event after his ridiculous comeback KO over Volkov and his entertaining post-fight speech with Joe Rogan. If the UFC is going to give Lewis a title shot, they might as well give it to him now. That being said, even if DC has a short camp for this fight, he’d still be a massive favorite to beat Lewis. As insane as Lewis’ fight-ending punching power is, he has really questionable cardio and average takedown defense which could be exposed by the champ. There’s no doubt Lewis would be a huge underdog if this fight indeed does come to fruition, though you can’t completely ignore the amount of late comeback wins he has. Still, DC is the champ for a reason.
Stay tuned to MMAOB for updates on the UFC 230 main event as well as the opening odds for this fight when and if the bout is officially announced by the UFC.
