Lewis vs Latifi: Does This Fight Highlight the Lack of Depth in the Heavyweight Division

Lewis vs Latifi: Does This Fight Highlight the Lack of Depth in the Heavyweight Division

By Jack Rainbow

Former title challenger Derrick Lewis returns this weekend to take on UFC veteran Ilir Latifi at UFC 247 in Houston. Lewis will be looking to build upon his fantastic return from injury at Madison Square Garden, where he put in a composed performance against Blagoy Invanov, to win after a two-fight losing skid.

Latifi in contrast is making his heavyweight debut after getting stopped by Volkan Oezdemir in the second round in the co-main event at Fight Night 157 in August.

The move up in weight is intriguing seeing he looked relatively small at light-heavyweight. Latifi has been stopped frequently in the past, his ability to take a punch against someone as heavy-hitting as Lewis will be one of the most significant factors in this fight.

For Latifi to get a fight against someone who is only two-fights removed from a heavyweight title shot is surprising. Latifi was only ranked at 12th at light-heavyweight, and does not have momentum on his side, losing his last two fights.

Lewis on the other side, put in arguably his most composed performance in his career against Invanov, showing he is more than just a one-punch knockout artist.

However Latifi does have good boxing ability and clear power in his hands. On top of this, his wrestling background is a weapon which he could use effectively against Lewis.

Against opponents such as Daniel Cormier, Lewis has been shown to have issues against natural wrestlers. Latifi, has won national wrestling championships, and will need to utilise his ground game to stand a realistic chance. Latifi should have the speed advantage also against the naturally slower Lewis, and his five career wins by submission shows despite being an obvious underdog, he does have ways to win.

However Lewis hits at a different level to which Latifi has ever taken. Lewis is clearly one of the hardest-hitters there is out there,  and purely looking at footage of his sensational one punch knockout over Volkov showcases this. He is likely to have a huge weight advantage, seeing as he weighs not far off the 265lbs upper-limit, in contrast to Latifi who has been a colossal 60 pounds less than that throughout his career.

Normally when lower profile fighters move up in weight, they have to fight against unranked opponents before getting a shot like this.

Latifi however has picked a perfect time to move up in a barren heavyweight division which lacks legitimate contenders. At 36 and with two losses in a row, this is the last chance saloon for Latifi to make a legitimate charge at a title shot. It is hard to see what Lewis gains from this match-up except the opportunity to continue his new-found momentum.

Latifi has fought previously against future heavyweights such as Ryan Bader. The issue is he has lost against bigger opponents and has been stopped on multiple occasions.

To win this he will need to be slick and avoid that famous overhand right that Lewis packs. The issue is at 36 and with the extra weight, it is hard to see how this is possible.

It is a strange fight which summarizes the lack of talent in the heavyweight division, and presents an unbelievable opportunity for one last push at the upper echelons of a division for Latifi.