Dual-division champ Daniel Cormier (21-1, 1 NC) is set to defend his heavyweight title for the first time against Derrick Lewis (21-5, 1 NC) at Madison Square Garden in November.
In less than a month from now, the heavyweight belt will be put on the line. ESPN’s Brett Okamoto first reported that the match-up was in the works, but not yet official. And a few hours later, Okamoto revealed that Dana White announced the fight as a done deal.
He also confirmed directly with Cormier that he accepted the fight with Lewis.
BREAKING: Per Dana White, "the fight is done" between Daniel Cormier and Derrick Lewis at UFC 230 on Nov. 3 in New York.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 9, 2018
Also confirmed directly with Daniel Cormier he's accepted the Derrick Lewis fight at UFC 230 on Nov. 3 in Madison Square Garden.
— Brett Okamoto (@bokamotoESPN) October 9, 2018
Lewis Said It Was “Too Early”
With a recent victory at UFC 229 against Alexander Volkov, Lewis was able to redeem himself from a humiliating performance at UFC 226. H
In an interview with MMAjunkie Radio just yesterday, Lewis said it was “too early” when he was asked about a potential title shot at UFC 230.
However, he admitted that a bit of cash would make him change his mind.
“I guess it would have to be (a large amount of money),” Lewis said. “Other than that, no.” (via MMAjunkie)
In a turn of events, the UFC formally announced that the heavyweight title fight will headline UFC 230 in November. This was after several months of looking for a high-profile title fight to headline next month’s event.
NYC, we have your MAIN EVENT!
The HW strap is on the line as 🏆🏆 @DC_MMA faces off against @TheBeast_UFC at #UFC230. pic.twitter.com/Ltvka3j4H6
— UFC (@ufc) October 9, 2018
DC Seems To Be Prepared
Even before agreeing to fight Lewis, Cormier was already preparing for a big fight at American Kickboxing Academy in San Jose, California. He was expected to defend his heavyweight title against Brock Lesnar early next year, as the WWE star settles testing with USADA.
Aside from this, Lesnar is currently making a huge fortune from his WWE shows. So that means his fight against DC isn’t
A lot can change in 4 months ..#UFC230 pic.twitter.com/JLp5mga68c
— UFC (@ufc) October 9, 2018
UFC 230 Lineup
With the official announcement of the main event, and the recent cancellation of the co-main event featuring Dustin Poirier and Nate Diaz, here’s how the entire UFC 230 card currently looks like:
- Daniel Cormier vs. Derrick Lewis
- Luke Rockhold vs. Chris Weidman
- Ronaldo Souza vs. David Branch
- Derek Brunson vs. Israel Adesanya
- Jason Knight vs. Jordan Rinaldi
- Lyman Good vs. Sultan Aliev
- Brian Kelleher vs. Domingo Pilarte
- Matt Frevola vs. Lando Vannata
- Karl Roberson vs. Jack Marshman
- Julio Arce vs. Sheymon Moraes
- Shane Burgos vs. Kurt Holobaugh
A potential women’s flyweight title between
UFC 230 will go down on November 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.
[Featured Image Credit: YouTube / UFC and YouTube / UFC Brasil]
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