Pivotal heavyweight contenders' bout headlines UFC Vegas 19

Las Vegas, February 15: UFC continues its run of events at UFC APEX with a clash of top five heavyweight contenders, as No. 2 ranked Curtis Blaydes takes on No. 4 Derrick Lewis.

Blaydes looks to continue his dominant win streak with a show-stealing performance. A Junior College National wrestling champion, Blaydes has beaten many of the top heavyweights in MMA.

During his UFC run, he has delivered impressive wins over Alistair Overeem, Mark Hunt and Junior dos Santos. Blaydes now aims to stake his claim for a title shot by snapping Lewis' momentum to secure his fifth consecutive victory.

Fan favorite Lewis crowned himself as the greatest knockout artist in UFC heavyweight history in his last bout after landing a record-setting 11th KO.

A former boxer under the tutelage of George Foreman, Lewis holds impressive finishes over Alexander Volkov, Travis Browne and Gabriel Gonzaga. He now strives to secure another shot at the title by becoming only the second person to stop Blaydes.

FINALLY.

💢 @RazorBlaydes265 vs @TheBeast_UFC is almost here. #UFCVegas19 pic.twitter.com/MBzAuRctrP

— UFC (@ufc) February 2, 2021

In the co-main event, No. 6 ranked women's bantamweight contender Ketlen Vieira faces No. 7 Yana Kunitskaya.

Vieira looks to kick off 2021 by delivering another head-turning performance against a top contender.

Since joining UFC the roster in 2016, the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt has earned impressive victories over former women's bantamweight title challengers Sara McMann and Cat Zingano. Vieira now looks to hold her spot on the 135-pound ladder by stopping Kunitskaya.

Former women's featherweight title challenger Kunitskaya quickly made waves after dropping down to the UFC's 135-pound division.

A lifelong martial artist, she has netted memorable victories over Julija Stoliarenko, Marion Reneau and Lina Lansberg since joining the world's largest MMA promotion in 2018. Kunitskaya now hopes become only the second fighter to defeat Vieira and continue her climb up the ranks.

Additional bouts on the card include:

• Charles Rosa squares off with Darrick Minner in an exciting featherweight bout.

• No. 10 ranked heavyweight contender Aleksei Oleinik makes his 75th professional appearance against rising Chris Daukaus.

• Former UFC heavyweight champion Andrei Arlovski goes for his third straight win against rising prospect Tom Aspinall.

• Dana White's Contender Series veteran Phil Hawes hopes to deliver another highlight-reel finish when he takes on Nassourdine Imavov at middleweight

• Jared Gordon hopes to halt the momentum of Danny Chavez in a featherweight bout.

• Due to COVID-19 protocol, Drakkar Klose now meets replacement opponent Luis Pena at lightweight.

• Former WEC bantamweight champion Eddie Wineland faces John Castaneda.

• Nate Landwehr locks horns with Julian Erosa in a featherweight bout.

• Shana Dobson hopes to build off her biggest victory to date when she takes on Casey O'Neill at flyweight.

• Tristar Gym standout Aiemann Zahabi returns to the Octagon against Drako Rodriguez at bantamweight.

• Serghei Spivac looks to build off the momentum of his most recent victory when he faces Dana White's Contender Series signee Jared Vanderaa.

UFC Fight Night: Blaydes vs. Lewis will take place Saturday, February 20 from UFC APEX in Las Vegas. The entire card will be on ESPN+, with the main card available in English and Spanish, starting at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT and the prelims at 5 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. PT.

Source: Press Release