Lewis vs. Spivac Prediction: UFC Fight Night 218 Betting Odds and Picks

The UFC returns with a massive non-PPV event that will have two absolute monsters face off in the main event – Derrick Lewis and Serghei Spivac. This will be an incredible event and the card is stacked with prospects and legends of the sport. Here are our predictions for the main event of UFC Fight Night 218.

UFC Fight Night: Derrick Lewis vs Serghei Spivac Quick Preview

This fight was originally supposed to take place on November 20, 2022, but the meeting was postponed due to Lewis's health problems. Now, it will definitely be more interesting to watch with Lewis's impressive physical form. However, We may never see Derrick as the bookmaker's favorite again. In a future fight, he again became an underdog, albeit not with the most devastating quotes.

Lewis has been a two-time UFC title contender. The 37-year-old American also held the Legacy FC title. The New Orleans fighter has a blue belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. Lewis has lost his last two fights in a row. The fighter lost in February 2022 to Australian Ty Tuivasa (knockout) and a few months later to Russian Sergey Pavlovich (knockout).

Lewis, who ranks seventh in the UFC rankings, has 26 wins (21 by KO) and ten losses. The American has been fighting professionally since 2010. In addition to the UFC, he fought at Bellator tournaments.

Serghei, on the contrary, received a boost of confidence after two victories by technical knockouts, so he will definitely have no problems with motivation and mental approach. The fighters have approximately equal height and weight, but Lewis will clearly be heavier than his opponent.

Spivac is ranked 12th in the heavyweight division. The 28-year-old Moldavian fighter has previously participated in multiple organizations and promotions. Spivac has 15 wins (seven by knockout) and three losses in MMA. He has been with the UFC since the spring of 2019. The athlete from Moldova won the last two fights, defeating the Brazilian Augusto Sakay (knockout) and the American Greg Hardy (knockout)

Fighter Analysis: Derrick Lewis vs Serghei Spivac

Derrick Lewis Preview

The Black Beast wants to convince himself and his fans that his killer lucky punch tactics can still bear fruit and break the heads of even the most aggressive opponents. The problem is that in the last fight against Pavlovich, Derrick quickly lost his head when he got under pressure and could not defend himself from a series of not even the most dangerous blows.

At the same time, Lewis himself seems to have completely stopped scouting the distance or working at least with double strikes. One gets the feeling that he is ready to wait until the last opportunity for a suitable opportunity to throw out a couple of heavy and slow punches, and then go back into standby mode.

This is where any Beast game plan ends. It is obvious that he clearly does not have any tasks to increase the load in training or lose weight. There is only mediocre motivation to continue earning money from fights in the UFC. But, as we know, it is not necessary to win for this.

Still, Derrick Lewis is a former Legacy FC heavyweight champion and a former UFC title contender. He has 37 fights on his name, 26 wins, 10 defeats, and 1 NC.

Serghei Spivac Preview

Spivac is a very experienced fighter and he has fought in a number of promotions. For example, the World Warriors Fighting Championship, Eagles Fighting Championship, N1 Pro Nomad MMA and Real Fight Promotion tournaments. He is also a former WWFC Champion.

You will be surprised, but Spivak's main weapon in this fight will be his BJJ. By the middle of the first round, he must do everything to knock Derrick to the ground and at least reach the half-guard in order to press the opponent to the ground and force him to actively defend himself.

Even a minute of stalling deprives the slow Lewis of his last strength, and if the Black Beast has his hands occupied, he will no longer be able to throw his deadly side hooks.

Spivak understands that protracted reconnaissance with jabs is not the best tactic. On the contrary, he should spend a minimum of time at medium distance, trying to get close as often as possible for the clinch. However, unfortunately, the likelihood of a lucky punch from the Beast is higher than ever with this tactic.

Lewis vs Spivac Prediction

I suspect an early end of the battle. Even three rounds for the current Derrick is already too much. Especially when you consider that by the end of the first five minutes, he will not even have the strength to just keep his hands under his chin.

True, the finish in the first round is not worth looking at. Spivak will be as accurate as possible and will either start to break the distance to force the Beast to run after him, or, on the contrary, will close into a clinch and spend the first round working at the net and on the ground.

And no matter how good Serghei has been in recent fights, the lucky punch factor from Lewis still makes it hard to bet on Spivac. But we believe that he is the stronger fighter and will find a way to win this fight. The career of a fighter from Moldova in the UFC is just beginning to develop. And age is not in favor of Lewis. He is almost ten years older than his rival. Now is the time to make way for the young. Moreover, the victory over the American will allow Serghei to break into the top 10 of the division ranking.

UFC Fight Night Co-Main Event: Da Woon Jung vs Devin Clark Quick Preview

The American is a basic fighter and has neither good defense against takedowns nor proper BJJ training. Clarke lost three times by submission and was also knocked out three times. The 32-year-old Devin has only 5 early victories. Obviously, in striking power, he is seriously inferior to Jung, who is a spectacular striker and will have the advantage against Clark's poor abilities.