Derrick Lewis scheduled to return at UFC Edmonton

UFC Edmonton will be headlined by top-five flyweights Rose Namajunas and Erin Blanchfield but Derrick Lewis will also make his return in the co-main event, Dana White confirmed.

As a part of the UFC CEO's announcement of the Edmonton fight card on Thursday, White declared that the fan-favorite heavyweight would be in the co-main event against Alexandr Romanov. The fight will be Lewis' second of 2024 after knocking out Rodrigo Nascimento in the main event of UFC St. Louis in May.

After initially claiming he was in his prime ahead of the fight with Nascimento, Lewis will get his wish of competing in a three-round fight for the first time since July 2023. "The Black Beast" is commonly used by the promotion as a headlining fighter due to his mainstream popularity but notoriously despises competing in five rounds due to his cardio deficiency.

Despite not having the star power of Lewis, Romanov poses a threat with his wrestling, a well-known hole in Lewis' game. However, though he once was considered a rising contender in the heavyweight division, Romanov has gone just 1-3 in his last four fights after beginning his career at 15-0. With another loss, Romanov would be at risk of being a cut candidate for the UFC.

Even with his recent struggles, Romanov is getting his fourth consecutive fight against a higher-ranked opponent. The matchmaking was questioned upon its announcement but appears to be a set-up for Lewis to pick up his 16th UFC knockout, given Romanov has lost two of his last three fights in the first round.

In his 42nd career outing, Lewis will be fighting in Canada for just the second time. His last visit to the Great White North resulted in a Fight of the Night brawl with Travis Browne, one that he won by knockout with ground-and-pound in the second round.