UFC August 8th

UFC: Chris Weidman returns against Omari Akhmedov on Aug. 8th

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Former UFC middleweight champion, Chris Weidman (14-5), will be making his first appearance in 2020 on August 8th. The former champion will be taking on rising middleweight contender, Omari Akhmedov (20-4-1). The fight will be on the same card that is being headlined by heavyweights, Derrick Lewis and Alexey Oleinik.

Former UFC middleweight champ’s back is against the wall

Chris Weidman has fallen under some serious hard times over the last few years. Weidman was at one point 13-0, and was considered one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world. Since then, Weidman has gone 1-5 being knocked out in all five of his losses. It is important to note that in four of those five losses, Weidman was doing very well in every fight before getting caught. The last time we saw Weidman was in October against Dominick Reyes at UFC on ESPN 6. Weidman decided to move up to light heavyweight to restart his career. However, Reyes smashed Weidman and finished him within the first two minutes. After that loss, Weidman has decided to return to the division where he was once the champion, hoping for one more run.

Akhmedov looking for his biggest win yet

Akhmedov had a very impressive 2019. The Russian went 3-0 including a win over Ian Heinisch. As a result, Akhmedov jumped up to being the 11th ranked middleweight in the world. A win over Weidman would be massive for Akhmedov’s career. Sure, Weidman isn’t the guy he was five years ago, but he’s still got a big name in the sport. If Akhmedov is able to defeat Weidman, you will likely see him make another jump in the rankings. He might be gearing up for a top five opponent if he’s able to win on August 8th. It’s a big fight for both men. For Weidman, if he’s not able to pick up the win, one has to wonder if he’ll walk away from the sport. For Akhmedov, it would be the biggest win of his UFC career which could vault him towards the top five.

UFC: Derrick Lewis-Alexey Oleinik to headline August 8th Fight Night

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One of the more popular figures in the UFC will be making his return on August 8th. Per ESPN’s Ariel Helwani, the always-entertaining, Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis (23-7, 1 NC), will be making his return in a headlining fight against top-15 heavyweight, Alexey Oleinik.

The Black Beast is looking for another UFC title shot

Derrick Lewis became a sensation after his come from behind knockout of Alexander Volkov at UFC 229. The most watched UFC PPV in history featured Lewis knocking out Volkov with just seconds remaining in the fight, after he had been losing the entire time. Lewis’ post-fight interviewing skills are legendary, and a star was born that night. Lewis went from the Volkov fight to fighting for the title against Daniel Cormier. Lewis lost that fight then he lost again to former champion, Junior dos Santos. Since that loss, Lewis has bounced back with back-to-back victories over Blagoy Ivanov and Ilir Latifi. Lewis is currently ranked as the fourth best heavyweight in the UFC, and a victory on August 8th would put him in the title conversation once again.

Seasoned and Tested

Probably the most seasoned fighter in the UFC is heavyweight, Alexey Oleinik. At 42-years-old, Oleinik has fought 73 times professionally to a record of 59-13-1. Oleinik hit a bump in the road in 2019 after losing fights to Alistair Overeem and Walt Harris. Oleinik has bounced back strong in 2020. Oleinik has fought and won twice this year against Maurice Green and former heavyweight champion, Fabricio Werdum. A win over Lewis would be massive for Oleinik. Oleinik is currently ranked as the 11th best heavyweight in the UFC, but a win over Lewis would vault him closer to the top five.