Derrick Lewis replaces Curtis Blaydes, headlines UFC Sao Paulo vs. Jailton Almeida

“The Black Beast” is headed to Brazil.

With Curtis Blaydes out, Derrick Lewis has stepped in against Jailton Almeida. The bout will headline UFC Fight Night 221 on Nov. 4 at Ibirapuera Gymnasium in Sao Paulo.

Two people with knowledge of the change recently informed MMA Junkie of it but asked to remain anonymous since the promotion has yet to make an official announcement. Ag.Fight first reported the news Monday.

Lewis (27-11 MMA, 18-9 UFC) looks to build on the momentum he gained at UFC 291 in July when he made quick work of Marcos Rogerio de Lima and went viral with a pantless celebration. The victory snapped a three-fight losing skid and earned Lewis a new UFC contract.

Almeida (19-2 MMA, 5-0 UFC) rides a 14-fight winning streak into the matchup including five straight finishes in the UFC. He most recently competed in May during his first promotional headliner, when he defeated Jairzinho Rozenstruik by first-round submission at UFC on ABC 4.

With the addition, UFC Fight Night 221 fight card includes:

• Jailton Almeida vs. Derrick Lewis
• Gabriel Bonfim vs. Nicolas Dalby
• Don’Tale Mayes vs. Rodrigo Nascimento
• Armen Petrosyan vs. Rodolfo Vieira
• Ismael Bonfim vs. Vinc Pichel
• Caio Borralho vs. Abus Magomedov
• Modestas Bukauskas vs. Vitor Petrino
• Elves Brenner vs. Esteban Ribovics
• Rinat Fakhretdinov vs. Elizeu Zaleski
• Denise Gomes vs. Angela Hill
• Eduarda Moura vs. Montserrat Ruiz
• Lucas Alexander vs. David Onama
• Marc Diakiese vs. Kaue Fernandes

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 231.