‘My Head Or His Head’

Derrick Lewis will make another hometown appearance tomorrow night (Sat., Feb. 12, 2022) at UFC 271 live on ESPN+ PPV from inside Toyota Center in Houston, Tex., when “Black Beast” meets surging heavyweight contender Tai Tuivasa in the co-main event.

Fortunately for fans, Lewis and Tuivasa are two of the most violent heavyweight fighters on the UFC roster today. Lewis is the all-time knockout leader in UFC history and “Bam Bam” has finished his last four opponents by way of strikes. While there have been heavyweight matchups that look incredible on paper only to fizzle out inside of the cage this one doesn’t seem like it will disappoint.

Feeding fuel to the fire is the fact that “Black Beast” and Tuivasa both want to end the night early. Lewis is not a fan of long fights and Tuivasa may need to catch Lewis early to defeat him. It’s a recipe for total Octagon destruction and a game both heavyweights are willing to play.

“I’m coming to knock his ass out,” said Lewis during UFC 271’s pre-fight press conference on Thursday (replay HERE). “With the utmost respect, though. I respect that man, but I’m coming to knock him out. With the utmost respect.”

Tuivasa was quick to chime in to let “Black Beast” know that he means business ahead of Saturday night as well. “Coming to do the same thing, brother,” said Tuivasa.

“Let’s swang and bang, then,” responded Lewis. “No more talking.”

Lewis, who is coming off a blistering first-round knockout win over Chris Daukaus this past December, is hoping that a win over “Bam Bam” this weekend will put him right back in title contention. Remember, “Black Beast” is 0-2 in UFC title fights, but he always seems to rise to the occasion in three-round affairs, especially in his hometown.

As for Tuivasa, the 28-year-old contender could easily jump a handful of names in the heavyweight division with a win over Lewis this weekend. Since dedicating himself more to the sport and taking his UFC future seriously “Bam Bam” has looked quite dangerous inside of the cage. He’s a betting underdog to defeat Lewis at UFC 271, but he certainly has the chops to pull it off.

“It’s either going to be my head or his head,” Tuivasa said. “We entertain the fans, so we’re coming here to take heads off. That’s it.”

MMAmania.com will deliver LIVE round-by-round, blow-by-blow coverage of the entire UFC 271 fight card RIGHT HERE, starting with the ESPN+ “Prelims” matches at 6 p.m. ET, followed by the remaining undercard balance on ESPN/ESPN+ at 8 p.m. ET, before the PPV main card start time at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN+.

For more news and notes on UFC 271 be sure to visit our comprehensive event archive right here. For the updated, revised, and finalized “Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2” fight card and ESPN+ lineup click here.