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Brett Okamoto, ESPN Staff Writer
UFC heavyweight Derrick Lewis has signed to replace Curtis Blaydes in a main event fight against Jailton Almeida, sources confirmed to ESPN on Monday.
Lewis (27-11) just signed a new deal after fighting out his contract in July. The new heavyweight matchup will headline UFC Fight Night on Nov. 4 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Almeida and Lewis are currently ranked as the Nos. 9 and 10 heavyweights, respectively, by UFC. Lewis is far more established, having fought in the UFC since 2014, and he holds the record for most knockouts in the promotion’s history.
Almeida (19-2), however, comes in riding a wave of momentum. The 32-year-old heavyweight is 4-0 in the UFC with four finishes, three of which came in the opening round. Most recently, he submitted Jairzinho Rozenstruik in May.
Current heavyweight champion Jon Jones is scheduled to defend his title against Stipe Miocic at UFC 295 in November. If Almeida wins, he would enter title contention, along with Sergei Pavlovich and Tom Aspinall.
Ag. Fight was the first to report the Lewis-Almeida matchup.