- Two heavyweights who weighed a combined 531 pounds just swang and banged at
UFC 271. - When the UFC gets it right, the UFC gets it right.
They weighed a combined 531 pounds, are renowned for their ability to separate lesser men from their senses, and collided Saturday at UFC 271 in a heavyweight scrap that was never going to disappoint.
When the UFC gets it right, the market-leading MMA promotion gets it right.
And when it came to the matchmaking in the fight between Houston favorite
Tuivasa entered the Octagon to unconventional music, choosing Cyndi Lauper's smash hit from the 1980s, "Girls just want to have fun."
Because that's what Tuivasa does best. He likes drinking beer from cowboy boots, from sneakers, and even suggested this week he'd drink it from his opponent's jockstrap.
He closed the distance in the opening round, engaging Lewis in a clinch, so as to deny the home fighter — competing in front of his own crowd at the Toyota Center — the space required to throw one of his merciless bombs.
Eventually, referee Dan Miragliotta had seen enough and broke the action as it had stalled, and though another clinch was initiated, there was suddenly a great explosion of strikes as both big men went at it.
Lewis dazed Tuivasa in the second with an uppercut but the move of the night was one swung from the Australian, who nailed his American adversary with an elbow so disgusting, it sent him crashing to the canvas.
He was unconscious before he even hit the deck. There was no need to count — it was over.
Lewis, a fighter who has hung around the top five in the division for years, was laid out by a new kid on the block who is continually evolving as a fighter.
Tuivasa had done it.
Watch it here:
—UFC on BT Sport (@btsportufc) February 13, 2022
And the aftermath here:
—ESPNMMA (@espnmma) February 13, 2022
With victory, Tuivasa advanced his pro MMA record to 14 wins (13 knockouts and one decision) against three losses.
It is unclear who he will fight next, but bouts against the likes of Tom Aspinall and Ciryl Gane would provide the right kind of examination, to determine an eventual contender for Francis Ngannou's heavyweight crown.