Derrick Lewis submitted Curtis Blaydes in the main event of UFC Vegas 19 with one of the cruelest uppercuts in the history of the promotion. But he also landed a few extra punches later.
Blaydes was already unconscious of the initial impact of the punch while Lewis pushed an attempted fall with his fist. But the fight wasn’t over yet – Lewis jumped to hit two more shots before referee Herb Dean managed to stop the fight with the end coming at the 1:26 mark of the second round.
Afterwards, Lewis was shouting in the corner of Blaydes, but it turns out that the verbal exchange had nothing to do with any kind of bad feeling or personal grudge resolved in the cage.
“Because your corner, your coaches were saying, ‘That was bullshit’. I was saying it’s not my fault, it’s Herb Dean’s fault, ”said Lewis at UFC Vegas 19 post-fight press conference.
“I will continue to fight until the referee takes you out. That’s up to anyone. The same thing can happen to me. I will keep fighting until the referee says stop. “
Although there is a long list of highlights that feature knockouts with a punch, Lewis promises that it will never be him because he just wasn’t built that way.
Their argument comes from the instructions given to the athletes before the event, where they are instructed to continue fighting until the referee tells them to stop. Lewis said this is what he will always do, even if it looks like his opponent is clearly not coming back.
“I can’t just turn the switch off like that,” said Lewis. “I know that some fighters can do that, but I can’t. I have to wait until the referee takes you away from them, because you never know what happens. Nothing can happen.
“He could turn into an ‘Undertaker’ and sit upright and eat all those pictures. Never know. You have to continue until the referee says chill out. “
The submission also drew Lewis for the most knockouts in UFC history alongside former champion Vitor Belfort, with 12 in total.
Getting into the record books was the least of his worries when the fight started when Lewis explained that he felt slow during the opening round and that he was struggling to move on.
“I couldn’t really wake up there,” said Lewis. “Like all the time ago, the walk to the octagon, the first and second rounds, my body just couldn’t wake up. I do not know why. I just didn’t have the energy I needed today. I wanted to be more explosive at first, but I couldn’t just pull the trigger.
“But I just hoped he would shoot. I didn’t care about anything else. I was just waiting for him to shoot. Throw the uppercut or the knee. We knew it would happen. “
Before the knockout attempt that led to the knockout, Lewis saw Blaydes start to have more confidence in striking, which only further increased the desire for submission.
“At the end of the first round, I’m like, ‘He’s messing up,'” said Lewis. “This is what I was saying in my head. Your coach was trying to raise his head – ‘Well, you’re doing fine’ – and I’m fine, keep playing this game. This is what I was saying to myself.
“Then came the second round and I thought he was going to get out and get up a little, then he was going to try to shoot. I just had to be patient. “
The game plan worked perfectly, as Lewis was just waiting for Blaydes to finally make his move, and it was when he dropped the bomb that he ended the fight.
“This is what we have been drilling all month,” said Lewis of his uppercut. “Really 12 weeks, really, trying to get ready for this guy.”
Obviously, it was worth it, as Lewis built his winning streak to four in total, while adding Blaydes to the long list of fighters who made the mistake of testing the power of “The Black Beast”.