How Derrick Lewis Illness Promoted UFC Fight Night 215 Game Cancellation
UFC Fight Night 215 recently lost its headliner on the 19th of November 2022, hours before Sergey Spivak and Derrick Lewis were about to square off in the Octagon. In the midst of Saturday, UFC officials had announced that Lewis who was 26-10 MMA, 17-8 UFC had come down with an illness which resulted in a back-out from the game. The news was released since Lewis cited a non-weight, non-COVID-related illness for cancellation. Thus, a light heavyweight clash for three rounds took place where Ion Cutelaba stood against Kennedy Nzechukwu. It was unpredictable whether Spivak vs Lewis would be rebooked at a later date. Lewis is a two-time heavyweight title challenger. However, he has lost 3 out of 4 recent Octagon appearances. Recently, he also suffered a TKO defeat of 55 seconds at the hands of Sergei Pavlovich on the 30th of July at UFC 277. Spivak has won 5 out of 6 UFC competitions since 2020 and is 2-0 this year with a TKO against Greg Hardy and Augusto Sakai. For sports betting enthusiasts, such sudden game cancellations could be very concerning and disappointing. Bettors usually follow credible websites such as thegruelingtruth.com to have updated News and incidents that could impact their betting decisions.
What Caused Lewis’s Health Issues?
Post-cancellation of the game, the actual reason behind Lewis’s health problems was found. Namely, his stomach hurt before the game. He was released from the hospital post proper examinations which indicated that there were no major issues but still enough for him to not participate. It is important to understand this since earlier, Ilir Latifi had kept quiet about his leg issue which eventually led to a 3-month suspension for recovering from a fatal situation. Lewis is back from the hospital and still wants to participate, however, we are still waiting for a direct update from him. Post-recovery, Derrick is more motivated than ever since he was defeated in 3 of his last 4 appearances and UFC Fight Night 215 was important for a win. Bettors should be aware of game scores and updated statistics to be in a better position to anticipate such sudden changes in-game dynamics.
Lewis’s Losses Earlier
Although Lewis has had very good results since he entered the UFC, in recent times luck has not been following him lately. First, Cyril Gane beat him, then Tai Tuivasa, and later Sergei Pavlovich. His match against Pavlovich ended prematurely since the official inflicted a stoppage time within a minute of the first round when Lewis was pinned down with serious hits on his torso and head. While a debate still exists on whether it was an early stoppage or not, Lewis felt that he could definitely continue further. Lewis was pretty confident before facing Sergei and had mentioned that he should have won both the fights he had lost but he came to terms with it. He had also mentioned that it had been a tough, crazy year for him and he did not want to face another loss and hoped to win and gain back his luck. On the other hand, Sergey Spivak is maintaining a very good streak and has won 5 matches in his last 6 appearances. Lewis was a worthy opponent for him and also was a springboard for the eventual opportunity of fighting for the belt the next year. Whether the UFC will find him another opponent or postpone his match with Lewis is still to be seen.
Concluding Thoughts
Lewis was declared as having clean health post the UFC fight night 215 event. His doctor Jeff Davidson mentioned that he had a stomach issue that could grow worse if he did not back out. The match between Lewis and Sergei might still be rescheduled for a later date.