Blaydes out of UFC Sao Paulo main event; Lewis steps in vs. Almeida
Top heavyweight contender Curtis Blaydes was forced to withdraw from the UFC Sao Paulo main event against Jailton Almeida after suffering injuries to both of his ankles, his manager told ESPN's Brett Okamoto.
As a result, Derrick Lewis will step in to face Almeida on Nov. 4, the UFC announced.
Almeida is one of the division's most promising fighters after earning the No. 9 spot with five straight wins to begin his UFC career, including four first-round finishes (three by submission and one by TKO).
The Brazilian will likely be a stylistic nightmare for Lewis, who has often struggled with high-level grapplers throughout his career.
The No. 10-ranked Lewis snapped a three-fight losing streak that had sent him spiraling out of the title picture in July, knocking out Marcos Rogerio de Lima in the first round of their UFC 291 matchup.
Blaydes will be unable to participate in physical activity for four-to-six weeks. "Razor" most recently suffered his second defeat in his last nine fights in April, losing to Sergei Pavlovich via first-round TKO. Blaydes sits at No. 5 in the UFC's heavyweight rankings.