With a matter of weeks left in the year, the UFC has a lot of business yet to take care of coming off of last week’s UFC 281 pay-per-view. This Saturday, things get started early for UFC Vegas 65 at the APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada. In the main event, seventh-ranked heavyweight Derrick Lewis is an odds-favorite to lose to No.12 Serghei Spivac, an act that would likely drop him out of the division’s top 10. The main event bout is supported by a co-headline contest between unranked light heavyweights Kennedy Nzechukwu and Ion Cutelaba. Both men have had a rough go over their last few appearances and look to build positive momentum.
Watch UFC Vegas 65
- When: Saturday, November 19, 2022
- Preliminary Start Time: 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT
- Main Card Start Time: 4 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. PT
- Location: UFC APEX – Las Vegas, Nevada
- UFC Live Stream: ESPN+
Across the card, other bouts like the welterweight contest between Andre Fialho and Muslim Salihov stand out. Fialho made his UFC debut in January going on to take four fights in six months. He won his first three but was knocked out by Jake Matthews in June at UFC 275, his third fight in three months. With plenty of time off to recover, Fialho could close out 2022 with a 4-1 record in the UFC, a big year for his career.
The preliminary card is supported by a ranked battle in the women’s flyweight division as No.8 Jennifer Maia takes on No.15 Maryna Moroz. Two fighters heading in opposite directions, Moroz has won her last three while Maia has dropped two consecutive appearances UFC Vegas 65 was scheduled to have a middleweight bout between Cody Brundage and Rodolfo Vieira, but the fight was canceled entering fight week. Vieira was removed due to injury and there was no replacement arranged.
Main Event Preview – Derrick Lewis vs Serghei Spivac
Lewis (26-10-0) has quickly gone from title challenger to the heavyweight division’s top-five gatekeeper in the last few years. Currently ranked seventh, he may soon lose that post too. Including his 2021 contest with Ciryl Gane, the Houston, Texas native has lost four of his last five outings. He was the last test for Tai Tuivasa and Sergei Pavlovich on their ascendance to the top of the division and now is projected to lose to Spivac (14-3-0). The heavyweights might need to get a new bouncer.
“The Polar Bear”, Spivac is 6-3 in the UFC, with wins over Tuivasa, Jared Vanderaa, Aleksei Oleinik, and Augusto Sakai. Still, lopsided losses to Tom Aspinall and Marcin Tybura stand out. Victorious in his last two fights, Spivac looks to make it a winning streak and a perfect 3-0 record to close out the year. Securing a third consecutive knockout win, especially over an opponent like Lewis would be big for Spivac’s top-five pursuit. Closing the distance on Lewis, however, comes with its own risks. “The Black Beast” owns the UFC record for most knockouts in the organization’s history with 13.
While entering the fight as an underdog, Lewis is still drawing a respectable line at +165 compared to -195 for his opponent. The betting window favors Spivac by KO/TKO/DQ at +140, edging out Lewis as the second-most likely result at +200. Spivac by submission is a rather short figure at +300, getting better odds than either fighter winning by decision. The Moldovan has six professional wins on the ground, nearly as many as he has by knockout.
UFC Vegas 65 Fight Card and Odds*
*Odds are from the beginning of the week and subject to change.
Main Card
- #7 Derrick Lewis (+165) vs #12 Serghei Spivac (-195) – Heavyweight
- Kennedy Nzechukwu (-170) vs Ion Cutelaba (+145) – Light Heavyweight
- Chase Sherman (+155) vs Waldo Cortes Acosta (-180) – Heavyweight
- Andre Fialho (-105) vs Muslim Salikhov (-115) – Welterweight
- Jack Della Maddalena (-450) vsDanny Roberts (+360) – Welterweight
Preliminary Card
- Charles Johnson (-155) vs Zhalgas Zhumagulov (+135) – Flyweight
- #8 Jennifer Maia (+150) vs #15 Maryna Moroz (-175) – Women’s Flyweight
- Vince Morales (+125) vs Miles Johns (-145) – Bantamweight
- Ricky Turcios (-155) vs Kevin Natividad (+135) – Bantamweight
- Vanessa Demopoulos (+100) vs Maria Oliveira (-120) – Women’s Strawweight
- Brady Hiestand (-170) vs Fernie Garcia (+145) – Bantamweight
- Natalia Silva (-165) vs Tereza Bleda (+140) – Women’s Flyweight
