Derrick Lewis ended Curtis Blaydes in the UFC Vegas 19 main event with one of the most vicious uppercuts in the history of the promotion. But he also received a few extra blows after that.
Blaydes was already unconscious from the initial impact of the punch when Lewis stuffed an attempted destruction with his fist. But the fight wasn’t over – Lewis jumped down to get two more shots before referee Herb Dean was able to stop the fight by the end at the 1:26 point of the second round.
Afterward, Lewis shouted into Blaydes’ corner, but it turned out that the verbal exchange had nothing to do with any kind of bad feelings or personal resentment being put in the cage.
Because his corner, his coaches were talking about, ‘That was bullshit. “I said it’s not my fault, it’s Herb Dean’s fault,” Lewis said at the UFC Vegas 19 press conference after the fight.
‘I’ll keep fighting until the referee pulls you off. That’s with everyone. The same can happen to me. I’ll just keep fighting until the referee says stop. “
While there is a long list of highlights with one-punch walk-off knockouts, Lewis promises he never will because he just isn’t built that way.
His argument stems from the instructions given to athletes prior to the event, telling them to continue fighting until the referee tells them to stop. Lewis said he always will, even though it seems his opponent is clearly not making a comeback.
“I can’t just turn the switch off,” Lewis said. “I know some fighters can, but I can’t. I have to wait for the referee to pull you off them because you never know what will happen. Everything can happen.
He could become ‘Undertaker’ and sit up and eat all those shots. You never know. You have to keep going until the referee says chill out. “
The finish also tied Lewis for the most knockouts in UFC history alongside former champion Vitor Belfort with 12 overall.
Entering the record books was the least of his concerns when the fight began, as Lewis explained that he felt sluggish on the opening round and that he was struggling to get going.
“I couldn’t really wake up there,” said Lewis. “Like all the time in the back, the walk to the octagon, the first and second rounds, my body couldn’t just wake up. I do not know why. I just didn’t have the energy I needed today. I wanted to be more explosive the first time, but I couldn’t just pull the trigger.
‘But I just waited for him to shoot. I didn’t care about anything else. I just waited for him to shoot. Throw the uppercut or knee. We knew it was coming. “
Ahead of the takedown attempt that led to the knockout, Lewis saw Blaydes gain more confidence in his strike, fueling his desire for the finish even more.
“At the end of the first lap I’m like, ‘He’s screwing up,’” said Lewis. ‘I said that in my head. His coach tried to pump his head – ‘Okay, you’re doing well’ – and it’s fine, keep playing that game. I said that to myself.
“Then came the second round and I thought he was going to come out and stand a little bit, and then he would 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 then he dropped the bomb that ended the fight.
“That’s what we’ve been drilling all month,” Lewis said of his uppercut. “Really 12 weeks, really, I’m trying to prepare for this guy.”
It clearly paid off as Lewis built his winning streak to four in total, adding Blaydes to the long list of fighters who made the mistake of testing the power of “The Black Beast”.