Ilir Latifi welcomes heavyweight fight with Derrick Lewis

Ilir Latifi currently has his hands full with a Saturday night, UFC Uruguay showdown with Volkan Oezdemir. Yet he’s already thinking ahead to his next fight — and he’s got some big ideas.

Speaking to MMA Fighting ahead of UFC Uruguay, the light heavyweight contender shared his interest in a heavyweight showdown with former title challenger Derrick Lewis.

File this one under Unexpected Callouts.

“I even have plans of fighting at heavyweight, so let’s see,” Latifi said when asked about his plans for his next fight. “Both divisions are tough. Light heavyweight is as tough as heavyweight. Both divisions they hit hard; light heavyweight they are faster, higher paced. There are advantages of the heavier guys, so we’ll see.”

When asked which heavyweights stand out as potential opponents, Ilir Latifi expressed interest in anybody ranked in the top-10, specifically Derrick Lewis.

“I would like to fight anybody in the top-10 — maybe Derrick Lewis,” he said. “I’m not looking past Volkan, this is a fight to focus on and do it. After that, let’s see, let’s take the decision from there.”

Ilir Latifi will enter his fight with Volkan Oezdemir having recently lost a decision to Corey Anderson. Prior to that setback, he was on a two-fight streak with consecutive wins over Ovince Saint Preux and Tyson Pedro.

Derrick Lewis, on the other hand, is currently on a two-fight skid, having recently been stopped by Junior dos Santos and reigning heavyweight champion Daniel Cormier. Prior to these losses, he was riding consecutive wins over Marcin Tybura, Francis Ngannou and Alexander Volkov.

Does a fight between Latifi and Lewis interest you?

This article first appeared on BJPENN.COM on 8/9/2019.