UFC Vegas 45 goes down this weekend at the UFC APEX in Las Vegas. In the main event, Derrick Lewis takes on Chris Daukaus in a top ten heavyweight matchup.
Lewis most recently fought Ciryl Gane for the interim heavyweight title at UFC 265, where he was finished in the third round. He’s 4-1 in his last five fights however, with wins over the likes of Curtis Blaydes and Aleksei Oleinik. Daukaus is yet to lose in his UFC career, with his most recent victory coming against Shamil Abdurakhimov by second round TKO at UFC 266.
Analysis And Prediction
Daukaus, who is rising up the rankings rapidly, is a very technical striker with a great amount of power in his hands. He’s also very fast and dynamic and will have the edge against Lewis as far as speed and athleticism are concerned, but Lewis is deceptively fast with his haymakers and has the ability to put anyone to sleep. If Daukaus chooses to play his natural game, which is to start aggressively and actively attack Lewis, he will find his openings. If he chooses to adopt a cautious approach, it may backfire as it will allow Lewis enough time to settle down and get going.
Although attacking Lewis will come with a huge risk of getting hit with a power shot, Daukaus should play to his strengths because he certainly has the power to stop ‘The Black Beast’, who will be patiently waiting for his opportunity to throw hands.
Statistically, Daukaus is a lot better than Lewis as he lands an incredible number of nine significant strikes per minute on average, whereas Lewis lands two-and-a-half. Defensively, Lewis is slightly better as he absorbs two-and-a-half significant strikes per minute on average, whereas Daukaus absorbs close to three-and-a-half. Both fighters are predominantly strikers so we should not expect a lot of grappling.
All in all, Daukaus will use his speed and volume to put Lewis off his game and earn a stoppage win.
Prediction: Chris Daukaus by TKO
Betting Odds:
Derrick Lewis (+120)
Chris Daukaus (-145)
Who do you think will win the UFC Vegas 45 main event between Derrick Lewis and Chris Daukaus?
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