UFC Vegas 19 went down last night (Saturday, February 20, 2021) at UFC APEX in Las Vegas, Nevada, with Derrick Lewis taking a brutal knockout victory over Curtis Blaydes (see it again here) in the main act. In the co-main event, Yana Kunitskaya beat the top Ketlen Vieira by unanimous decision in a 138lb Catchweight bout (recap here).
Biggest Winner: Derrick Lewis
There must be a certain sense of satisfaction for a hunter when he or she can finally throw a fist at a person who has relentlessly claimed to have avoided them. That satisfaction is only enhanced when a knockout victory is the end result for that fighter. And that’s exactly what happened when Lewis delivered one of the most vicious knockouts of the year on Blaydes after hearing “Razor’s” countless allegations that he rejected the fight and avoided at all costs. With the win, Lewis shoots straight to the No. 1 contender spot at Heavyweight, meaning he has to face Jones Jones’ winner against Stipe Miocic or Francis Ngannou. With four consecutive wins on his resume – and an extra $ 50,000 in his pocket – Lewis is quite the championship photo and has only cemented his reputation as one of the toughest punchers in the history of the sport.
Runner (s) up: Chris Daukaus and Tom Aspinall
In this preview post, I said that it seemed like UFC matchmakers wanted to use former 265-pound champion Andrei Arlovski and longtime MMA veteran Aleksei Oleinik as a springboard for young talent like Aspinall and Daukaus. And if that was indeed what it did, it worked because Aspinall earned himself a second round victory over Arlovski, while Daukaus knocked out Oleinik in the first round. Their winnings are huge for their respective careers as well as their bank accounts as each man scored an extra $ 50,000 in post-fight bonuses. Those are some big names on their resume, which can only make them rise in the rankings faster.
Biggest Loser: Curtis Blaydes
Throughout UFC history, there have been several fighters who only needed to win three or four fights to participate in a title fight. Then there are others like Blaydes who never received an invitation to participate in a 265lb championship fight, even though he had a win streak of four fights and won eight out of nine. If he had beaten Lewis, no doubt he would have lined up. Now he will have to start all over again and take one win after another if he wants to get back into the mix. It must be perfect. Still, his latest setback must definitely cut deep for Blaydes, especially since it came from a man he doesn’t care much about. And what perhaps stung a little more to him is the fact that “Razor” was adamant that he would struggle his way to victory, only to be eliminated without ever landing a takedown. A tough night at the office indeed.
For full UFC Vegas 19: “Blaydes vs. Lewis” results and play-by-play, click HERE!