- Knockout artist
Derrick Lewis scored the 12th KO of hisUFC career Saturday. - He hit
Curtis Blaydes with a brutal uppercut, then landed another two shots when he was unconscious. - Watch the finish, and final two blows, right here.
Heavy-hitting American heavyweight Derrick Lewis tied a UFC record with another emphatic knockout win Saturday at the behind-closed-doors UFC Fight Night 185 event in the Apex, Las Vegas.
In the second round, Lewis finished Curtis Blaydes with a vicious uppercut - a counter-attack to a takedown attempt from Blaydes that flattened him in an instant.
The 36-year-old Louisianan, self-styled as The Black Beast, then hit Blaydes with two more shots while his rival was unconscious on the floor.
Despite the conclusive finish, Lewis landed just seven strikes in total - a testament to his ferocious power.
Though Blaydes had many wins by knockout heading into the match, he was expected to shoot for takedowns and look to control the fight by leaning on his high school wrestling.
Instead, Blaydes seemed happy to trade with Lewis while standing and even landed 28 of 52 strikes in the fight (four times as many strikes landed than Lewis in that round).
Blaydes shot for four takedowns. The final one Lewis knew was coming, so he threw the uppercut shot that led to the 12th knockout win of his UFC career - a UFC heavyweight record for KOs he shares with Vitor Belfort.
It was a brilliant win for Lewis, who has been accumulating wins, in highlight-reel fashion, since back-to-back losses two years ago.
Since those defeats, Lewis has won four times and has been climbing back up the UFC heavyweight rankings - with this latest victory comes against Blaydes, the No.2-ranked fighter in the division.
"I wanted to be more explosive," Lewis told reporters after his win was confirmed. "I couldn't just pull the trigger. All I was doing was waiting for him to shoot [for the takedown] before throwing the uppercut.
"That's what we've been drilling all month, 12 weeks, really," he said.
On the extra two punches he hit Blaydes with when his opponent was already beaten and unconscious on the mat, Lewis said some fighters could switch off and hold back, but he can't.
"I can't just turn the switch off. I got to wait till the referee to pull you off because you never know what happens. He could turn into The Undertaker and sit up."
Watch the finish and the extra two shots right here:
—UFC (@ufc) February 21, 2021
His impressive win earned him a UFC $50,000 cash bonus.
The victory advanced his pro-MMA record to 25 wins (20 knockouts, one submission, and four decisions) against seven losses.