UFC Vegas 19 took place last night (Saturday, February 20, 2021) inside UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Derrick Lewis delivering a brutal knockout victory over Curtis Blaydes (see again here) in the main act. In the main co-fight, Yana Kunitskaya defeated Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision in a 138-pound Catchweight bout (recap here).
Biggest winner: Derrick Lewis
There must be a certain sense of accomplishment for a fighter when he or she finally manages to punch a person who has relentlessly claimed that he or she has avoided them. This satisfaction is only intensified when the end result is a knockout victory for that fighter. And that is exactly what happened when Lewis gave one of the cruelest knockouts of the year in Blaydes, after hearing “Razor” ‘s numerous accusations of refusing the fight and avoiding it at all costs. With the victory, Lewis fires straight into the place of No. 1 heavyweight contender, meaning he must face the Jones Jones winner against Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou. With four consecutive victories under his belt – plus an extra $ 50,000 in his pocket – Lewis looks good in the championship picture and has only increased his reputation as one of the biggest punches in the history of the sport.
Corridor (s) Above: Chris Daukaus and Tom Aspinall
In this preview post, I mentioned that it looked like UFC matchmakers were looking to use former 265 pound champion Andrei Arlovski and longtime MMA veteran Aleksei Oleinik as stepping stones for young talent like Aspinall and Daukaus. And if that was really what he was doing, it worked because Aspinall won a second round submission victory over Arlovski, while Daukaus knocked out Oleinik in the first round. Their wins are huge for their respective careers, as well as for their bank accounts, because each man earned an extra $ 50,000 in post-fight bonuses. These are some big names in their resumes, which will only allow each of them to move up the ranks more quickly.
Biggest loser: Curtis Blaydes
Throughout UFC history, several fighters have had to win just three or four fights to reach the title. Then there are others like Blaydes, who never received an invitation to participate in a £ 265 championship fight, although he was in a four-game winning streak and had won eight of nine in total. If he had defeated Lewis, he would undoubtedly be on the line. Now, he will have to start all over again and start accumulating one victory after another if he wants to return to the fight. It has to be perfect. Still, his latest setback definitely has to cut deep for Blaydes, especially since it came at the hands of a man he doesn’t care much about. And what might hurt him a little more is the fact that “Razor” was adamant that he would fight his way to victory, only to be knocked out without ever getting a takedown. A tough night at the office, in fact.
For the full UFC Vegas 19: “Blaydes vs. Lewis” results and play by play, click ON HERE!