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The co-main event of UFC 271 sees two hard-hitting, fan-favorite heavyweights meet in a fight booked especially for the fans. Derrick Lewis has his famous ‘hot balls' whilst Tai Tuivasa has his even more famous ‘shoey.' The stakes are high as both men have huge knockout power and have the opportunity to become stars in the UFC. Derrick Lewis has become a tough gatekeeper in the division and seems to knock out just about everyone. Having a granite chin is not enough against Lewis, you have to be able to avoid eating clean shots. Tai Tuivasa also has a fun style that involves knocking people out. He went through a tough time a few years ago but is now fighting in one of the biggest fights of his career.
Let's do a Lewis-Tuivasa prediction and pick.
Derrick Lewis has reached a point in his career where it's very clear where he stands in the UFC's heavyweight division. He is a high-level gatekeeper that can knockout everyone in the division. He's in a tough spot as he's clearly better than a good chunk of the heavyweights in the UFC but he's not better than the top-3 in the division. Lewis doesn't have a lot going for him with a win, he's not really interested in a title shot or even main event fights next, at this point, it's all about fun fights.
Tai Tuivasa looks to take on Derrick Lewis at UFC 271 in the biggest test of his career so far. It's obvious the UFC wants him to be a big star and they're going to give him the opportunity to take the leap. Lewis' power is going to be a problem but he doesn't use his wrestling the way past opponents have. Tuivasa will be in for a very interesting fight that's going to test him in many ways. He'll be hoping to end the night drinking a beer out of something gross.
Here is how FanDuel has the Lewis-Tuivasa UFC 271 odds.
UFC 271 odds: Lewis-Tuivasa Odds
Derrick Lewis (-188)
Tai Tuivasa (+158)
Over 1.5 rounds (+148)
Under rounds (-190)
How Derrick Lewis wins the fight at UFC 271
Derrick Lewis has crazy power and a very obvious method of winning fights. The odds of this one going all three rounds are slim but that doesn't mean it can't. Lewis loves to make it seem like he isn't strategic or that he simply looks for a big counter. That simply isn't the case. Lewis is very strategic and can pick up on openings. The most likely method to victory for Lewis will be staying patient and allowing Tai Tuivasa to get comfortable and aggressive. His defense has been in question and Lewis doesn't have to hit you clean to get the knockout. The Houston native will be looking to find a counter shot at UFC 271 and it could look a lot like his last fight with Chris Daukaus where he unloads after finding an opposing. The finish would most likely come in the first round by knockout.
How Tai Tuivasa wins the fight at UFC 271
Tai Tuivasa has a path to victory against Derrick Lewis in a few surprising ways. The most obvious is for him to avoid getting his clock cleaned early on. The Australian has a really good chin but it's not worth putting that to the test against Derrick Lewis. Tuivasa has quite a few weapons with his low kicks and big power shots. Winning a decision is feasible but it's not the outcome fans will be looking for. Tuivasa has said he plans to ‘stand and bang' so point fighting for three rounds and staying safe sounds very unlikely. He can absolutely knockout out Lewis with a big punch and it has been done before. The key is for the Australian to stay patient and not rush for the finish. He could very well find a knockout early on from a big punch, tire out Lewis for a TKO later on, or try to stay safe with a decision.
Final Lewis-Tuivasa Prediction & Pick
This is the kind of fight that's tough to predict and tough to bet on. There are likely three outcomes. Derrick Lewis gets the knockout, Tai Tuivasa gets the knockout, or the fight goes to a decision. The decision could happen based on the way power punchers tend to respect each other. A low-volume approach and both men having great chins could keep the fight going for all three rounds. There is also the chance the two respect each other too much and barely throw for all five rounds. The most likely scenario is that the two start to land in towards the end of the first round. Tuivasa will be looking to push the pace as he doesn't tend to be patient. This would most likely lead to an opening for Lewis to land a big shot. Lewis wins by knockout in the first round.
Final Lewis-Tuivasa Prediction & Pick: Lewis (-188) by knockout in the first round.
