The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) will be back in full swing at the UFC Apex in Nevada with UFC Vegas 68. Saturday’s Fight Night will feature a much-anticipated main-event clash between USA’s Derrick Lewis and Serghei Spivac.
Lewis and Spivac were slated to meet in November 2022. However, the bout was cancelled after the American backed out from the bout due to a non-COVID, non-weight-cutting illness.
Spivac, ranked 12th in the heavyweight division, will now have another shot at the seventh-ranked Lewis, as the Moldovan heads in with winning form.
The takedown specialist had a perfect record in 2022, defeating USA’s Greg Hardy in early March and Augusto Sakai of Brazil in August against the odds. Meanwhile, Lewis has lost his last two fights in the Octagon with KO blows.
However, undermining Lewis’ potential will be fatal - the ‘Black Beast’ has the most knockouts in UFC history across all divisions.
Spicvac does not appear to be perturbed by his opponent, who has fought more than twice in the UFC than he has. “It doesn’t bother me much. I mean, it’s not something I pay attention to... I must have done something right to reach this level. I keep moving forward and do my training to achieve the goals I set for myself,” Spivac told Sportstar in an exclusive interaction.
“So, on Saturday, we’ll see if there’s a difference in how many fights I had played or how many he hasn’t. Basically, I’ll do what I have to keep moving forward,” he added.
Both Spivac and Lewis have contrasting styles of play. Spivac’s forte is his takedown abilities and grappling. Lewis relies on his approach, subsequently winning more than 81 per cent of his games with KO.
UFC FIGHT NIGHT 68: MAIN CARD
Speaking about his preparation for the fight. Spivac stated: “I made no changes to my training or game plan..... I worked and prepared the same way I always did, and I’m ready for anything.”
The fight against Lewis will be Spivac’s first main-event card in the UFC, and the hype around the bout has increased after it was rescheduled.
Spivac admits that the rescheduling has given him more time to prepare, but that is all he cares about. “It did not affect me as it was my first main card fight or anything. But, yes it did give me more time to prepare,” he added.
Aiming for a top-10 ranking in the heavyweight division, the 28-year-old Spivac, nicknamed ‘Polar Bear’, prefers to keep things simple, in contrast to other fighters who usually isolate themselves from the outside world before a big fight
“No, I don’t buy into the hype, and the fact that this is such a big fight, doesn’t bother me. I do what needs to be done. I have a week or so before the fight to finish up my obligations, but aside from that, I train and go about my normal life. I am open to other people and allow myself to see and be around them to avoid overthinking,” he elaborated.
The veteran Lewis has never lost three games in a row in his 35-fight professional career. It will be enticing to see if Spivac can hand him a hat-trick of losses or if Lewis can reset and start the year with a win.
Lewis vs Spivac fight will be telecast on Sony Sports Ten 2 (English), Sony Sports Ten 3 (Hindi), & Sony Sports Ten 4 (Tamil & Telugu) channels on 5th February 2023 from 11:30 am IST.
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