Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa betting odds, fight info and fan predictions for UFC 271 bout

Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa UFC fight info, date and time

Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa is set to go down at UFC 271: Adesanya vs. Whittaker 2 at 10:30pm EST on Saturday 12th February 2022 in a 265lbs matchup.

After losing his Interim Heavyweight Championship bout against Cyril Gane, Derrick Lewis bounced back with a spectacular knockout against rising contender Chris Daukaus. Lewis holds the all-time record for UFC knockouts with 13.

Tai Tuivasa is on a four-fight win streak, winning every fight via knockout. He most recently beat Augusto Sakai in the second round at UFC 269 after securing first-round knockouts against Greg Hardy, Harry Hunsucker and Stefan Struve. 

Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa betting odds

Derrick Lewis enters the fight as the odds on -180 betting favorite. Placing a bet on Lewis means you would need to bet $180 in order to win $100.

Tai Tuivasa is a +160 betting underdog. With these odds, a $100 bet on Tuivasa would win $160.

Fight information

News of Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa first broke on January 7th, 2022. Lewis will be fighting on hometown territory in Houston, TX. 

This mouthwatering Heavyweight clash will serve as the co-main event at UFC 271. The UFC officially announced the full UFC 271 card on January 22nd, 2021.

#UFC271 in Houston looking 🔥👀 pic.twitter.com/Yezc83kVGv

— UFC (@ufc) January 23, 2022

The fight is a quick turnaround for Lewis, who headlined UFC Vegas 45 on December 18th, 2021. The same can be said of Tuivasa, who fought a week earlier at UFC 269 on December 11th, 2021.

Derrick Lewis

Derrick Lewis silenced the doubters (yet again) with a first-round knockout against rising Heavyweight Chris Daukaus. After losing his shot at the interim belt to Cyril Gane, Lewis is firmly back on track.

Victory dance 🕺

[ @TheBeast_UFC | #UFCVegas45 ] pic.twitter.com/pr6RGJjNjv

— UFC (@ufc) December 19, 2021

Before his loss to Gane, Lewis was on a four-fight winning streak, including notable KO victories over Curtis Blaydes and Aleksei Oleynik. 

Tai Tuivasa

Tai Tuivasa is on a roll with four-straight knockout wins in the past 18 months. He dismantled Augusto Sakai in his most recent fight at UFC 269.

HE SLEPT HIM 😱 @bambamtuivasa #UFC269 pic.twitter.com/4TpdxI3TVk

— ESPN MMA (@espnmma) December 12, 2021

Tuivasa entered 2020 on the back of a three-fight losing streak before turning things around spectacularly. His first-round knockout against Stefan Struve at UFC 254 began his four-fight streak, the joint-highest active finishing streak in the UFC.

How they match up

Derrick Lewis will have a four-inch reach advantage against Tuivasa with a 79-inch reach. He is also the slightly taller fighter, standing at 6”3 compared to Tuivasa who is 6”2.

Lewis is the significantly older fighter at 36 years old. Tuivasa is still only 28. Lewis has also had more than double the professional fights with 35 fights, while Tuivasa has fought professionally 17 times.

Tuivasa has finished 93% of his fights, with all finishes coming by knockout. Lewis has an 85% finishing rate, 21 by knockout and 1 by submission.

Tuivasa lands far more significant strikes per fight with an average of 4.63 per minute, while Lewis lands 2.52.

Reasons to watch

This fight matches up two of the most explosive Heavyweight knockout artists in the UFC. Derrick Lewis, the UFC all-time KO record holder, puts his opponents to sleep in an instant.

Tuivasa has shown he can hang with the best Heavyweights, but this will be an altogether different test. Expect a wild fight and don’t blink – this one could be over at any moment.

The stakes

While Derrick Lewis only just lost his shot at the Heavyweight interim belt in August 2021, many would like to see a rematch against current champion Francis Ngannou. This fight is a must-win if Lewis wants another chance at the belt.

Tai Tuivasa is on his way up the Heavyweight rankings, currently sitting at #11. To take out a legend like Derrick Lewis would cement his place in the Top Ten.

Chael Sonnen believes the fight has been made purely for entertainment:

“Do you want to know what’s on the line? There’s nothing on the line. This is for fun.”

Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa predictions

The oddsmakers’ predictions have Derrick Lewis as the favorite with odds of -180. 

Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa picks

Chael Sonnen struggled to pick a winner in this one:

“Either one of these guys can beat the other.”

UFC Bantamweight Sean O’Malley picks Tai Tuivasa to win:

“I like both guys, but I have to go with Tai Tuivasa.”

Get your Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa picks in.

Where to bet on Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa

Derrick Lewis vs Tai Tuivasa tale of the tape

• Significant 8 year age difference: Tuivasa is the younger fighter at 28 years old.
• Lewis has a significant 4 inch reach advantage.
• Significant experience difference: Lewis has 18 more professional MMA fights than Tuivasa.

Derrick Lewis	vs	Tai Tuivasa
36	Age	28
35	Fights	17
26	Wins	14
8	Losses	3
21	KO’s	13
1	Subs	0
6′ 3	Height (in)	6′ 2
79	Reach (in)	75

Blagoy Ivanov vs Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa
Derrick Lewis   Win • Decision R3 5:00	vs. Blagoy Ivanov	Tai Tuivasa   Loss • Decision R3 5:00

Junior dos Santos vs Derrick Lewis and Tai Tuivasa
Derrick Lewis   Loss • KO/TKO R2 1:58	vs. Junior dos Santos	Tai Tuivasa   Loss • KO/TKO R2 2:30

Derrick “The Black Beast” Lewis fighter profile and recent form

Derrick Lewis is a 36 year old male fighter from United States with 26 pro wins and 8 losses. See Derrick Lewis’s full MMA record.

Derrick Lewis has a 85% finish rate, including 21 by knockout, 1 by submission, 4 by decision.

Derrick Lewis is looking to put together a winning streak, having last beaten Chris Daukaus at UFC Fight Night: Lewis vs. Daukaus.

Last 5 bouts

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Weight class	Org
Win	25-8-0	Chris Daukaus	KO/TKO R1 3:36	UFC Fight Night	2021-12-18	Heavyweight	UFC
Loss	25-7-0	Ciryl Gane	KO/TKO R3 4:11	UFC 265	2021-08-07	Heavyweight	UFC
Win	24-7-0	Curtis Blaydes	KO/TKO R2 1:26	UFC Fight Night	2021-02-20	Heavyweight	UFC
Win	23-7-0	Aleksei Oleinik	KO/TKO R2 0:21	UFC Fight Night	2020-08-08	Heavyweight	UFC
Win	22-7-0	Ilir Latifi	DEC R3 5:00	UFC 247	2020-02-08	Heavyweight	UFC

Tai “Bam Bam” Tuivasa fighter profile and recent form

Tai Tuivasa is a 28 year old male fighter from Australia with 14 pro wins and 3 losses. See Tai Tuivasa’s full MMA record.

Tai Tuivasa has a 93% finish rate, including 13 by knockout, 1 by decision.

Tai Tuivasa is currently riding a 4 fight win streak.

Last 5 bouts

Result	Record	Opponent	Method	Event	Date	Weight class	Org
Win	13-3-0	Augusto Sakai	KO/TKO R2 0:26	UFC 269	2021-12-11	Heavyweight	UFC
Win	12-3-0	Greg Hardy	KO/TKO R1 1:07	UFC 264	2021-07-10	Heavyweight	UFC
Win	11-3-0	Harry Hunsucker	KO/TKO R1 0:49	UFC Fight Night	2021-03-20	Heavyweight	UFC
Win	10-3-0	Stefan Struve	KO/TKO R1 4:59	UFC 254	2020-10-24	Heavyweight	UFC
Loss	10-2-0	Sergey Spivak	SUB R2 3:14	UFC 243	2019-10-05	Heavyweight	UFC