Heavyweight behemoths, Derrick Lewis and Curtis Blaydes, headlined UFC Vegas 19 as they battled for heavyweight supremacy. The fight card was stacked with stunning performances and even more impressive knockouts. Seven of 12 fights on the night ended via T/KO. However, Derrick Lewis definitely stole the show with his lethal uppercut that knocked Blaydes out cold.
Going into the fight, ‘The Black Beast’ was on a three-fight win streak. He was about to take on arguably his biggest test to date in Curtis Blaydes. Not only did ‘The Black Beast’ secure a win in style, but he has also now put himself in the conversation for a title shot at heavyweight.
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Derrick Lewis with a stunning walk-off knockout
Leading into the fight, much of the focus was on how Lewis’ wrestling would hold up against an elite wrestler in Curtis Blaydes. Lewis’ takedown defense in UFC fights was 53%- the lowest among heavyweights since 2010.
Much of the first round was on the feet, Blaydes attempted a few takedowns, but was not successful in getting Lewis to the ground. At one point ‘Razor’ even had his opponent hurt but did not capitalize on it to get a finish. The round ended with an accidental eye-poke by Blaydes.
Derrick Lewis produces another incredible knockout! 💥
The Black Beast scores the second-round finish in emphatic fashion! 💪#UFCVegas19 pic.twitter.com/OfbRWuPZeO
— UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) February 21, 2021
In the second round, Curtis Blaydes went for a takedown just as Lewis was backing away. Recognizing that ‘Razor’ was shooting for a takedown, ‘The Black Beast’ loaded up on a left uppercut that met Curtis just as he was shooting in. This was enough to flatten him and Lewis could not have asked for a more perfectly executed uppercut.
With the KO, ‘The Black Beast’ has extended his current win streak to 4-0 in the UFC and is now on the cusp of fighting for UFC gold. However, it will not be that simple given that the winner of the fight at UFC 260 between Ngannou and Miocic will most likely face Jon Jones.
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This is something Lewis said he recognizes in the post-fight interview. He went on to add that he would be willing to fight anyone in the heavyweight division.
What did you make of Derrick Lewis’s performance tonight? Who should he face next?