One of the prelims at UFC Fight Night 68 is a three-round heavyweight bout between Shawn Jordan and Derrick Lewis. According to the current betting lines available at Several Bookmakers, Lewis is a -120 favorite (bet $120 to win $100) while Jordan is a +100 underdog (bet $100 to win $100). MMA oddsmaker Nick Kalikas opened up Lewis at -125 and Jordan at -115, and the odds have stayed fairly close to that with Lewis being a slight favorite. This is a pretty tough heavyweight fight to call, but I slightly lean towards Lewis to pick up the win. Here’s why. Lewis (12-3, 1 NC) is one of the up-and-coming heavyweights in the UFC. The 30-year-old American is 3-1 in the UFC with wins over Guto Inocente, Jack May and Ruan Potts — all by TKO — with his lone loss coming via KO to Matt Mitrione. He is a devastating finisher with 12 finishes in 12 wins, including 11 wins by knockout. He has big-time power in his fists and has some of the best ground and pound in the division. He has very good wrestling and for a big man he is quite nimble on the ground. He doesn’t have great standup, but he does have big power so he’s able to flail punches and knock his opponents out even though he’s not that technical on the feet. However, he is improving in all facets of the game. He previously fought Jordan, losing a decision, but there was some controversy as he knocked Jordan out in the last few seconds of the fight but the referee let it go to the final bell and he lost the decision. Now he wants to avenge that loss, and he’ll get the chance this weekend against Jordan. Jordan (17-6) is a very powerful, athletic and explosive heavyweight fighter. A former fullback for LSU, the 30-year-old Jordan has done well in his MMA career, going 5-3 in the UFC with wins over Pat Barry, Jared Cannonier, May, Mike Russow and Oli Thompson — all by knockout — with losses to Mitrione, Gabriel Gonzaga and Cheick Kongo. Jordan is a big, strong heavyweight with big-time knockout power. For a heavyweight he is quite fast on the feet and he has pretty good standup overall, especially with his hands, leading to 13 knockout wins. He also has very heavy ground and pound. He also has solid wrestling as well. The problem with Jordan is his chin. He has been knocked out four times in six fights, and is a threat to be knocked out anytime he fights because he’s always facing heavyweights. If he didn’t have a mediocre chin — which might be a product of the damage he took during his football career — he would be a guy competing for the top 15 of the division, but since he doesn’t have the ability to take punishment, it leaves him in the bottom tier, fighting guys like Lewis to keep his spot as a gatekeeper in the UFC heavyweight division. I could see either man getting a knockout win here. With as much power as both men have, as well as their questionable chins, I don’t see this one going the full 15 minutes. I lean towards Lewis slightly because I believe his chin is a bit more durable and I think he has the better ground game if this fight hits the mat, but if Jordan knocks him out on the feet it would not surprise me at all. The pick is Lewis, but this is a fight to avoid betting on as far as I’m concerned.
