5 potential opponents for Derrick Lewis after UFC 271 setback

#4. Derrick Lewis vs. Sergei Pavlovich

Pavlovich is ranked No.15 with a record of 14-1

Derrick Lewis may still be the No.5-ranked fighter in the division, but his most recent loss came against a man who had been ranked outside of the top ten. With this in mind, another young fighter who is lower in the rankings might make sense as an opponent for 'The Black Beast'.

Sergei Pavlovich certainly fits that bill. He is just 29 years old and has built a 14-1 record. His only loss came in his UFC debut against Alistair Overeem. He has since come back with consecutive first-round finishes and, in the process, earned himself a spot in the rankings.

The Russian is scheduled to take on the No.10 ranked Shamil Abdurakhimov on March 19. If he is successful in that one, a fight with Lewis will begin to make a lot of sense.

Whether this fight gets made likely depends on how high the UFC are on Pavlovich. If they feel he is ready to become a big player in the heavyweight division, pitting him against an established star in Derrick Lewis would be a great way to build up his name.

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#3. Derrick Lewis vs. Marcin Tybura II

Tybura is ranked No.9 with a record of 22-7

Marcin Tybura was on a very impressive winning streak before losing to Alexander Volkov in his last fight. He is now scheduled to take on Jairzinho Rozenstruik on February 26. Should he win that bout, a clash with Derrick Lewis might make sense as the next logical step.

Tybura's polish power has the potential to be a fun addition to the top of the heavyweight division. To get him there, he will need to beat some big names. While Rozenstruik would be a start, a win over Derrick Lewis would be enormous for his career.

Lewis beat Tybura in their 2018 meeting via KO. However, Tybura might also pose some challenges to Lewis now, making this an interesting bout. The pole has gone the distance eight times in his UFC career, twice as many as Lewis. This suggests Tybura would have a stamina advantage, which has been Lewis' Achilles heel over the years.