Lewis confirms he'll face Werdum at UFC 216
Two heavyweight contenders are getting back in the saddle.
A tilt between former champion Fabricio Werdum and Derrick Lewis is set for UFC 216 - scheduled for Oct. 7 at Las Vegas' T-Mobile Arena - Lewis announced on Instagram following a Thursday report from MMA Fighting's Ariel Helwani.
Since losing the divisional crown to incumbent champ Stipe Miocic in May of last year, "Vai Cavalo" has beaten Travis Browne and lost to Alistair Overeem at UFC 203 and 213, respectively. Werdum currently sits in the second spot of the promotion's heavyweight rankings.
Lewis is coming off a loss of his own, a fourth-round TKO courtesy of Mark Hunt suffered at UFC Fight Night 110 in June. Arguably the division's busiest fighter, "The Black Beast" had openly entertained retiring after seeing a six-fight win streak snapped by Hunt. The seventh-ranked Lewis has since revealed he'll fight on, and now returns to the Octagon for his stiffest test yet in Werdum.
The October card will also feature an interim lightweight title bout between Tony Ferguson and Kevin Lee. A headliner has yet to be announced.